My Sanctuary

Clearing away the blogwebs ...

2010-05-23T10:12:00.000+08:00

I have been so guilty for not updating my blog as often as I used to. Kinda hard when there is Facebook to catch up each day (Cafe World is to be blamed totally!!) and my poor flickr account too has been neglected sadly. With the iPhone, I basically upload everything from there so first task now is to find an apps that will allow me, if possible, to upload everything at once.

So bear with me for a wee bit more and I promise I will upload some neat things that I have been doing for the last couple of weeks my friends!

Hugggzzzz,

A gem indeed ...

2010-01-25T21:23:00.000+08:00

I am not sure why exactly but I have resisted watching the period Korean drama (that can go on and on and on) but it could be because most of the time there's a lot of crying involve and too many sad instances or even god forbid, sad endings! Sorry but reality is miserable enough as it is and for my escapism to be worth escaping to, I would like to watch happy Korean dramas.

But when I was in KL recently, I caved in and bought Jewel in the Palace or Dae Jang Geum which was a huge hit in 2003-2004 when it was aired in Korea and eventually around the world. Yes, many years later, I joined the mass of people who have watched this period drama and I absolutely LOVE IT. It took me many many weeks to watch it but it was worth it. I would like to re-watch this drama soon but am going to take a break otherwise suffer from an overdose of Jang Geum-ness.

I love the chemistry between the characters Ming Jun-ho (played by Jin Ji-Hee who is so darn cute) and Jang Geum (played beautifully by Lee Young-ae) and also liked how the story was nicely weaved around life in the palace. Yes, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is into Korean dramas and have not seen this. Assure you, HAPPY ENDING!!! *grins*

Hmm, now wondering what should I watch next ....

Boo!

2010-01-24T21:00:00.000+08:00

Guess who I found among the potted plants outside my apartment. No garden so this guy is definitely a city gnome taking care of the potted plants :o) Photo for the day!

Lovin' the Best Camera app ...

2010-01-23T21:37:00.001+08:00

In my previous post, I took up the challenge of doing a Photograph A Day for a couple of months and I sure didn't know what I was getting myself into. Firstly, I don't do very well under such 'pressure' (from myself, yeah, I know it's silly). Secondly, the perfectionist in my made an appearance and nothing around me seemed worthy enough for me to shoot. Thirdly, weekdays are usually spent in the confines of my car, office, back in my car and home and everything just seems too boring. Fourthly, I don't bring my camera around when I do my walks around my work place so even if I find anything, I don't have my camera on me. So several weeks passed and I failed to get any decent shots at all.

Last week, I came across an application called Best Camera and it seemed interested so I got it. And only had a chance to play with it today and I love it. Realistically, even good photographers have to edit their photographs to 'clean' them up and I usually don't have much time or the skill to edit my photos creatively. I usually just clean it up such that the colours become brighter .. that's it. But from this application, it's so user-friendly to make simple edits. I am sure it is able to do more but for now, this might be a good start in helping me reach my goal of a photograph a day.

Just to show you what I have done so far, here are two samples from today:

Am not sure what kind of grass these are (above) but came across them today. And with the Best Camera application, this is what it looks like after some simple editing. I LOVE IT!!! There is actually a white frame around the photograph and with a black background, it looks real nice (to me at least) *grins* Am just amazed how the photograph looks so different just by changing it to a black-and-white version.

Another one is of my favourite drink - Coca Cola. I am still exploring the options so the photographs can be better but for now, am still experimenting (and lovin' it).

And here is after I played around some with the photograph. Again, with a black background and the white frame around, the contrast is pretty cool.

It's been three years ..

2010-01-12T00:00:00.000+08:00

Was at the Esplanade for dinner as we were celebrating Slawek's three years 'anniversary' since he moved to Singapore in 2007. Time has gone by real fast and am surprised when he reminded me that it has been three years!! Wow. And he has gone through a lot having made the move, being away from his family, going through the different accommodation especially in the first year and also changes in his job in a totally new environment. But am thankful that he made the move here and I don't think I tell him enough how grateful I am!! Ditto!

Photograph above is my first for my Goal 1: Shoot a Photo A Day challenge. It turned out harder than I thought, partly because I am cooped up in the office most of the time at work. And I was looking around and realised that I was being too fussy with my shot. One of these days, I should just take a photograph of my office or my super messy table. The photograph above was taken with my girlie camera and not too bad for a point and shoot camera without a tripod. Will have to bring the dslr one night out to the esplanade and see what I can get! Wonder what will tomorrow's shot be!

Overdose on fruits ...

2010-01-10T20:12:00.000+08:00

I managed to get some shopping done today so am pleased with myself. My phone contract is due for renewal so yes, I got myself the iphone! It's now being charged and I can wait to get it synced up with my apps and all. I also got my Dad his birthday present. His birthday is not till 25 January but I thought he could do with his gift earlier so that he can hmmm, play with it *grins*

I was looking through my camera and found a photograph I took on 31 December when I went over to the Pasir Panjang Whole Sale Market. I wish I could say that I went to a nearby farm and picked these fruits straight from the trees but hey, I am in Singapore, we don't have a lot of land and as you can see from the pic below, a lot of the fruits are imported *grins* so even if I tried to lie, nobody would believe me.

The grapes were really sweet and seedless (I don't understand why anyone would choose grapes with seeds when the seedless option is so easily available. Gorgeous sweet mangoes from Australia. Yummy Korean strawberries, they were sooo sweet, lil oranges from China and Grapples (grapes infused into them apples) from the States. Yummy!!!

To pursue an interest ... Photographic Goal 1

2010-01-09T18:50:00.001+08:00

For this year, one of my goals is to pick up photography proper by taking up a basic photography course. Currently, what I do is just aim and shoot and would like to have better control over my photographs. While surfing, I came across a post where a guest writer suggested 30 photographic goals for 2010. It sounded interesting so am going to give it a go. Instead of listing all thirty, am going to do them one at a time and will also post it on my blog one at a time. So let's see by 2011, how many of the 30 goals will I manage to commit to. My goal is all 30 of course. Some of the goals listed I have already started but am not too regular due to a whole of reasons. But it's 2010 so am going to make time for myself (think I mentioned wanting to do this in my 2009 goals too *laughs .. oh well) and put in time and effort so hopefully by end of 2010, I would feel a lot more confident in taking them photographs.

So here's Goal 1- Shoot A Photo A Day

I usually have my camera with me but I am going to include the use of my mobile camera too. And it's not about just shooting a photo, any photo but it also includes thinking why I picked that subject/scene to take and how could it be better and eventually try and build up a collection (stock photography worthy photographs) based on different themes. Will also update here on my progress. For now, will aim to take photos for the month of January and February. Wish me luck!

Here's to a wonderful 2010 ...

2009-12-31T22:12:00.000+08:00

Another year is over and for me, the year 2009 has been filled with experiences and memories that made me happy, sad and at times wonder the true purpose of my life. Many questions I asked and some still remained unanswered. But I am okay with that.

What would I like for myself for 2010? I would like to take control of areas in my life which at times seem totally out of control. There are things that I have been procrastinating because of various reasons and 2010 will be the year for me to confront them and do what I need to do. And most important of all, I want to spend more time on myself and my loved ones (family and friends) and constantly remind myself of how fortunate I am to have what I have ....

Here's wishing each and everyone of you a blessed New Year and may the year ahead be overflowing with everything good from love, happiness, good health (having lots of money wouldn't hurt either). Love you!

Back in Ha Noi ...

2009-12-31T20:39:00.001+08:00

We didn't have much time left in Ha Noi so tried to see as much as we could during the day. One of the visits took us to the One Pillar Pagoda (photograph above) where the pagoda is supported by one singular concrete pillar which looks like a lotus flower blooming on a stem. This is a replica as the original pagoda was razed by the French military as they abandoned the country in 1950s. Today, you can go to the top and make special prayers especially if you're attempting to have a baby (or at least this was what I was told).

Another place that we visited was the Temple of Literature which reflects the Vietnamese esteem for education and literature. In the past, that was where Vietnam's best and brightest gathered in the compound of temples, pavillions, courtyards and dorms to study the master's teachings and obtain recognition.

The above photograph shows the Garden of the Stelae, a home to some of the country's most precious relics - ma,es pf tje 1,306 doctor laureates, who achieved fame between 1442 and 1779n have been captured and inscribed on 82 stelae (with details of the name, birthplace and sometimes even the age with 16 being the youngest and 61 the oldest). Interestingly these stelae and turtles were entombed in sand and concrete by the authorities during the Vietnam War to protect them against the bombing.

When we were there, we saw groups of school children who were also there part of their school trip and it was suppose to be good luck to rub the heads of the turtles. The stelae were meant to inspire the children to study hard and achieve what many others have done in the past.

At the Temple of Literature, I came across these wooden figurines that were replicas of wooden puppets used at the Water Puppet show that we were going for later in the afternoon.

Below is a huge drum that was found at the side of the Thai Hoc Hall which is an ironwood-timbered museum and sanctuary for the veneration of three great Vietnamese kings.

We didn't manage to cover the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum as there was a long queue of visitors so will have to kiv that for the next trip there.

Tien, our local guide, asked if we wanted to visit Cafe Smile and support the establishment where orphans were saved from the streets and taught different skills and they worked in this Cafe upon completion of their training.

We were impressed with the whole concept and we went in to have Vietnamese Coffee with milk (photograph below). Becsause we were due to have lunch, we didn't pig in there though the menu looked really tempting.

A must see in Vietnam would be the Water Puppet Show. Water puppetry is a thousand-year-old Vietnamese performance art with deep roots in the wet rice agriculture of the Red River Delta. What you will see would be puppets carved from fig wood painted and lacquered in bright colours, splashing about on a watery stage as they enact skits drawn from Vietnam's folklore and history.

Photograph above shows the watery stage before the start of the performance. The water puppets were accompanied by an orchestra of musicians and cheo (popular opera) singers (as seen below).

Just to note that you need to pay a small token on top of the entrance fee if you want to bring in your camera or video cam but it's worth it yes. Only frustrations I had was trying to figure out how to take the photos in the dark without the flash.

These puppets can be as tall as 102cm (40 inches) and weigh up to 16kg (35 pounds) and are attached to buoyant wooden base of float that oplows along just beneath the water's surface.

It's amazing how expressive these wooden puppets can be as the puppeteers work the different parts of the puppets like them marionettes. Above is part of the skit from Le Loi's return of the magic sword to the golden tortoise of Hoan Kiem Lake.

What I also love are the colours from the puppets and though the songs are sung in Vietnamese, you don't need to understand the language to understand the show.That's how it should be, shouldn't it *grins*

Below is a photograph to show how huge the watery stage is and the water puppets in comparison to the stage. We were fortunate to be seated on the second row and would have been better (for photo opportunities) if we could seat on the front row as I have photographs with people's heads, hands and cameras in many of my shots :o)

Below is a shot of the puppeteers hard at work maneuvering the heavy puppets. It's sheer hard work to make it all look so easy.

At the end of the 45 minute show, the puppeteers wade out from the stage so that us audience can show our appreciation of their performance! Nice!

In Ha Noi, we stayed at a hotel located in the Old Quarter and that is an awesome place to walk around. Lots of shops and things to see and eat if you're daring enough. What is interesting is how the streets are named for the merchandise (hang) that they used to make or sold during imperial times. The way to see the place is just to walk and not worry about getting lost!

Below was a rush shot of an old lady existing the market that was opposite the hotel we stayed in. The plan was to get up nice and early to take some shots but usually I ended up going to bed pretty late and that meant having problems getting up in the morning!

I still have many things that I have not seen in Ha Noi, let alone other parts of Vietnam and I would definitely like to come back again some day. The last few visits this year to different places in Asia has opened my eyes (nice and wide) to the many awesome places to visit that didn't require me to travel half a day to get to to enjoy. And as I have shared with many of my friends, the next year or two, my travel will probably be limited to within Asia and I am so looking forward to it ...

Trekking Sa Pa.

2009-12-30T22:14:00.001+08:00

Part of the trip included a trek through the beautiful Sa Pa mountains. There are different treks to suit your fitness level and the one I was on was easy enough as it was DOWNHILL most of the time and it gave me time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

I did some googling before the trek and was really looking forward to seeing the terraced rice fields of Sa Pa. And seeing it in person was a dream come true and it reminded me how much I miss being in the classroom.

The harvest season was over so the fields look kinda bare. Would be amazing I think to be able to see these fields when it's all green as the seedlings are growing or when it's all golden from the ripen rick stalks just before harvesting.

You can also see the bunds built by the farmers to keep the rainwater in to flood the terraces. I miss teaching Geography!!

As we were lots of animals roaming around the fields like this huge black pig you see above.

There was also a stream that we had to cross but it wasn't running full so it wasn't as exciting *grins* I had hoped that we would have to use a wooden bridge like the one below but ...

unfortunately, the bridge was defunct a year ago and they built a more solid concrete bridge (see below) for visitors to use. Not so exciting huh? Darn it ...

Right after the bridge, we stopped for lunch. We had a boxed lunch so it was nice to munch on food with the mountains for a view.

After lunch, we walked on and came across farmer's houses, and there was this boy who was happily playing with his dog.

And the photograph above shows a close up of a house belonging to a farmer. Couldn't venture further in but from what I saw from afar, the houses are build low to the ground and am wondering if it's due to the cold winds?

The two phtographs (above and below) are more shots of the fields as I walked along the Sa Pa trek.

And below is another favourite photograph from the trip of a black Hmong tribe woman. What is interesting about this lady was that even though she was much older than the others, she was still able to walk the long distance that the women have to travel each day.

I came across this mommy and baby pair below and the lil fella looks so small and am not sure if it's a newborn.

Along the trek, there is also options of staying at guesthouses among the rice fields. Would be something I would definitely like to explore when I head back to Sa Pa, at least for a night as it would give me more time to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

As I was walking, I noticed corn that the local farmers were hanging out to dry. I asked the nice local lady (she was from the Black Hmong tribe who was walking with me throughout the trek - hoping to sell me something, though thankfully she was as pushy as the others - had to admire her perseverance though) and she explained that the corn was dried so that they can produce corn wine and the stalk will then be used to feed the animals on the farm.

I was also fortunate to witness something quite interesting. There were no petrol kiosks around so how do the motorcycle owners top up their petrol?

You look for a shop like the one above. And then you take one of them plastic bottles but don't start drinking from it yah.

And you just pour the liquid into your bike and hope that it's what you need and not 7-Up or Sprite *grins*

I took the two photographs (above and below) as part of an experiment. Same subject, different angle and to me, the photographs turned out very different. Which do you reckon is a better shot to take? As for me, I still can't decide which I prefer ...

There were also kids playing outside their homes and they weren't too bothered by the many tourists going by. This fella below was happily throwing stones at however went by him. Guess that's his way of saying GO AWAY! *laughs*

It was an enjoyable trek and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Could have spent more time taking the photographs but guess for now it will have to do :o) And would I like to go back? A definite YES!

Visiting village schools in Sa Pa.

2009-12-25T20:35:00.001+08:00

Part of this trip to Sa Pa included visits to two village schools where the tribes would send their children for schooling. The schools were pretty way off and because the houses were scattered all over the hills, the children have to travel quite a bit to get to school.

So you can imagine how fit the children were. And this is the view of the surrounding area to the school.

I have always wanted to see rice terraced hills and could only admire them from photographs I saw either online or through documentaries on telly. But to see the hills with terraces cut into the slopes, it was like WOW!! Made me miss being in the classroom ...

For the first school, we went there on a Sunday because of the tight schedule and we had a meeting with the Principal and a small group of her teachers. What we didn't expect the kids to come as well, all nicely dressed in their tribe costumes to greet us.

And while the adults were talking, the children sat quickly without having to be supervised by their teachers. Amazing!!

Managed to take a few shots of the kids and they are really gorgeous. Am not sure if you can see from the photographs, many of the kids had their hands stained and we were curious why. The local guide explained that they helped their parents in dying materials for clothes and as you can see why these are known as the Black Hmong from the colour of their costumes. So they use indigo to dye their clothings to get the dark black colour - thus the stained hands.

And the kids had a fresh look that I just couldn't resist taking photos of them. Aren't they just gorgeous *grins*

Here's another one of the girls in the school ..

The next day we ventured off to another village school and had more time to spend with the teachers and pupils there.

While we were conversing with the Principal and a small group of teachers, the kids were outside exercising, probably part of their Physical Education lessons.

The teachers also organised games for the children and we were also invited to partake in the activities. Don't have any pictures but one where the Singapore team competed with the Vietnam team was through tug of war and we *hangs head in shame* lost.

For example, we played tug-of-war and there were about five of us adults and maybe about 10 YOUNG children. I arrogantly told the teachers that we should let them win. And why did I say 'arrogantly'? Because those kids didn't need us to let them win - they won on their own!!! These are kids who walked through the mountains to get from one place to another, do a lot of work around the house and farm - they were strong!!! And when the female adults competed, yeah, we lost even though their teachers were in heels!! Yes, very humbling experience.

Above is a photograph of some of the kids who watched as we embarassed ourselves during games. I think they were as curious of us as we were of them.

The children here were not used to having visitors to their school and with the language barrier, it didn't help. Initially some of them were afraid of us and didn't know how to react to our gestures like when we waved at them or when one of my colleague carried one of the kids.

As you can see they don't have school uniforms and what caught our attention was that many were also without shoes.

Like I mentioned before, it was a humbling experience in many ways for me. For the teachers who volunteered to teach in an area where resources would understandably be limited, where education may not be top in the parents priority list compared to the need to farm to produce food to feed the family.

The kids who travel daily to school regardless the weather to get an education, to study in classrooms that were covered with bullet holes ...

The school experience was one that touched me the most and it would definitely be good to be able to continue the collaboration with the school sand see how we can work with them for the next few years.

Looking at the pictures of the kids, I definitely have to work on the portrait shots because most of the time, I am clicking away too quickly without much thought to the background, composition etc - am just too focused on not wanting to miss those 'moments' which has happened many a times because am just too slow with my camera *grins*

Below is my favourite photograph for the school visits. I was fortunate enough to be there to catch this lone girl who was watching the others play. She had a piece of what looked like bread in her hand, and she just looked like she could do with a hug. I also like the contrast of the background with her, especially her purple boots. She is such a sweetheart.

And let me introduce our wonderful Vietnamese guide Tien who was knowledgeable and able to share much with us, and took good care of us while we were in Vietnam. Thanks Tien!

First day in beautiful Sa Pa

2009-12-24T21:11:00.002+08:00

The focus of the trip was actually Sa Pa as we were doing a recce to see if the village schools are suitable for our young charges. So we were in Sa Pa for several days and I was just thankful that we had that time there. We were there over the weekend so a must visit is the hill tribe markets where once a week, everyone from all over would head to the different markets to either sell their goods or to do their weekly marketing.

We visited Bac Ha Market as it's know to be the biggest, most colourful and yes, most visited by tourists so you can pretty much guess what to expect.

Photograph above of the Flower Hmong Tribe women with their baskets and all ready to do their weekly marketing. And below you can see the shops that line the path into the market. At this section is where you will find the local souvenior items that tourists will buy to bring home. But as you go deeper, you'll go to the section where you find mostly locals going about doing their own shopping.

There will be the Flower Hmong women who will trail after you to sell their wares. What usually works is just to shake your head with a SMILE and they will leave you alone. Saw some people getting upset because they felt that they were being 'harassed' but I think the best way to enjoy the experience is just take everything in stride and as part of being in a different country. And SMILE ... it always makes things okay *grins*

Below is a photograph of a local tribe woman with her shopping bag and the white container you see in the basket could be used to store corn wine, which we saw many sipping from one of the stalls.

Colour, there were lots of colour everywhere from the tribal costumes to what were being sold. Below were wooden dolls made by the locals. Very tempting but I didn't buy any home nope.

Other toys include the plastic dolls below all decked in the different tribal festive outfits. Gorgeous yah!

Then there were also the soft toys in different animal forms (see photograph below). See any that you like?

You can get all sorts of souveniors for friends and family back home. For example, there are these colourful hats below that provides shade on a sunny day ...

or pick from the beautiful selection of shawls and scarves below ....

What I enjoyed walking around the market was the zillion colours all around, not just from the goods being sold but also from the people around.

As mentioned before, as you move deeper, you tend to see the more local side to the market.

Like check out the lady below. She was busy serving her customers but I was so tempted to ask her where I could get a top like hers - such colour and details. Gorgeous!

And if you are wondering what kind of shoes are these below, they are not soccer boots but rather trekking boots that are great when the treks get muddy after rain. Our own kind of shoes will just pick up the mud and make walking tough but these are suppose to be quite good ... or at least what I was told.

And want matching skirts to wear with them boots? No problem, pick your favourite colour!

What were some of the interesting things that the locals were buying?

Well, below you can see them shopping for sugarcane...

and there's also incense for sale ...

And here's another shot of the incense sellers. The scent from the burning incense were pretty subtle, not like the ones I am used to back home ...

And for the guys, there's always tobacco where you can use the common pipe to test out the kind that you like before making your purchase.

I also had an interesting time checking our the ladies selling their goods. And what I noticed, there weren't many men doing the selling ...

You have young ladies, old ladies but not too many men. I like the photograph below of the older lady, the lines on her face maps the journey she has gone through in her life.

oh, okay, the men, you see them at the outdoor barbers below. But other than a few others scattered here and there, most of the men were either at the eating section or hanging around catching up with the others. Guess after working hard each day at the fields (the women help out in the fields too), it's nice for them to catch up with other men at the market.

There were also a lot of babies with their Moms but the interesting thing was that you don't here babies wailing that we would at the markets here. Guess the kids were pretty comfy when carried by their Moms on their backs like what you see below.

And there is a section of the market where you can grab something to eat if you're feeling hungry. It was interesting walking around and I wished I knew what they were eating because some of the items looked interesting. The food section was next to the are where fresh meat were sold.

The photograph below of people enjoying their meal. They must be used to having tourists snapping shots because they didn't even bother shoo-ing me away. That I was thankful for.

Go ahead, take a look below and see if you can decipher the meats available from one of the store. Yummy huh? *grins* And yes, if you're wondering if a snout is there somewhere, yup, there is one.

I think I could have spent hours at the market. But we had to do a village school visit after lunch so didn't manage to take my time with the photographs. Am using my new DSLR and the first time I brought it was when I was at Ho Chi Minh so this was my second time using the camera. This is the kind of place that I would love to test out my camera some more. I am still trying to figure out how to use it in darker areas or indoors but for now, am quite happy with the quality.

And I realised that for my dslr, I could zoom in, thanks to the great lenses from Slawek, and take close up shots of people without offending anyone. I would like to do more portraits I think cuz I find people's faces and expression very interesting. Goal for next year is attend a basic photography class so that I can make best use of the camera. But until then, will scout for people who are willing to let me snap my camera away ...

Good Morning Vietnam ... or Ha Long Bay to be exact!

2009-12-19T11:58:00.002+08:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to return to Vietnam, two weeks after my trip to Ho Chi Minh City and although this trip was also part of work, it was with colleagues so it was a lot more relaxing and time to catch up with each other. The trip started at Ha Noi, where I had the pleasure to take a boat tide to view the karst landscape at Ha Long Bay and after that some sights around Ha Noi. And then it was to Sa Pa where I have to say I enjoyed myself the most during my stay in Vietnam this round.

For a start, let me share my Ha Noi experience. As mentioned, part of the visit included going out to Ha Long Bay, a must see because it's a UNESCO designated a section of the bay a World Heritage site, where you can find 2,000 karst islands rise from the waters of Ha Long Bay.

It was believed that the thrashing tail of a dragon (Ha Long means 'dragon descending') created the seascape but ask any geologists and they will give you some explanation about how it took 300 million years of erosion and subduction to create such awesome landscape.

After boarding our own boat like the one below, we set off and it was pretty exciting for me having read about the landforms that waited ahead.

It took a while to get to the formation but it was definitely worth the wait. Like in Cambodia, when I visited the Floating Village, there were people on boats who would come up to try and sell fruits to the tourists. No different here.

It was about 9 plus in the morning and this was the sight that greeted us as we saw the formations from a far. But it was rather frustrating because the sun was shining so brightly (yes, I know this is suppose to be better than having a heavy downpour) and it made taking photographs so difficult. Everything turned out in different shades of grey! Yeah, a pro would probably know what to do but while trying to figure out how to get some shots while balancing on a moving boat (and praying that I don't fall off the boat) - it was tricky.

When we got closer, it got a little better and the idea for the photograph below was from the guide that was with us. He too was experimenting with his DSLR and suggested the shot below. Kinda interesting to have the dragon looking on since the myth behind the dragon's tail forming the karst landscape. For the locals, the fierce looking dragon heads are meant to ward evil spirits away from then fishing boats.

As the boat got closer, we had a better view of the formations. Very exciting for a geography person like me. Wished I had the opportunity to bring the older students here to talk about the formation. We also docked for an hour as we visited a limestone cave, Hang Thien Cung.

Below is a view of the bay from a high point and the boats below are waiting for the many visitors to the bay. There are also those who stay overnight on the boat so they were docked at the jetty and we could here them singing away.

And to meet our needs, there was a floating supermarket (see below) where we could buy snacks for our boat trip back.

Back on the boat and with the sun not being so sunny, I was able to take some photographs. It also meant, dashing in and out of the boat because fresh seafood was being served *grins* on the boat yes.

On the lunch menu included the crabs below. Yup, boiled crabs that we had to pry open to get to the meat. It was fresh no doubt but give me chilli crabs anytime *grins*

We also came across another interesting rock landform which the locals refer to as the 'fighting cocks' because the two rock structures look like they are fighting each other. Look hard and you can see at some point they were one large rock before the elements got to them and split them apart.

Pretty awesome close up of the rocks below. From the size of the boats, you can get a better picture of how huge they are.

It was a good trip to Ha Long Bay and I would definitely like to revisit the area again some day. Now if you want major pampering and stay overnight onboard (and don't mind splurging some), one option could be the Victory Cruise which looks might fancy. Nice!

Once we got back to land, we headed to the train station for our 9 hour overnight trip to Sa Pa. You can take a look at the options available on this website. The most luxurious would be the Victoria Express Train where you would have to stay at least a night at the Victoria Hotel Resort at Sa Pa (if I had the money, I sure would!). What I was told that the next best two would be the Fansipan Train and the Livitrains. We had to take Livitrains because we couldn't get two way tickets for Fansipan. So next trip there, I would definitely like to try Fansipan. There are different bunkers to choose from. We were on the four bunk per room which is super tight and it's split two levels. There are also two bunks per room available if you're traveling pair. Also the photos you see online, its much smaller than what you think. We had to slide our bags under the small side table. Easier if you have an over-nighter but we had our luggages with us. Also, don't depend on the staff to give you a wake up call because it ended up to be a mad rush as we only had a few minutes by the time she came to us. And with a toilet per carriage, it means having to share with heaps other people. So wake up earlier so that you can wash up in peace *grins*

Củ Chi Tunnels ...

2009-12-15T19:04:00.001+08:00

On the second last day of our stay in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City), we took a trip out to visit the famous Củ Chi Tunnels, which was an incredible network of tunnels that were build during the Vietnam War by the Viet Congs. What little knowledge I knew of the tunnels were based on the war movies I watched like NAM - Tour of Duty and such. So it this trip was something that I was looking forward to. Moving out of HCMC, we had the opportunity to enjoy the country side, which was less crowded compared to the city.

When we got to Củ Chi, we first viewed a video to explain about what happened during the Vietnam War, from the perspective of the Vietnamese.

From Wiki, here's a little more information about the tunnels. The photograph above shows an entrance of the tunnel. And these have been enlarged for the larger sized tourists who visit the tunnels these days.

'The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the Viet Cong in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually culminating in an American withdrawal.'

The photograph above is a cross-section of the tunnel system and it's quite amazing how they thought of everything. Some of the sections are super narrow that would only allow the Viet Congs who were small built to enter. There were sections that were traps where the unknowing visitor to the tunnel could fall into a bed of spikes. The tunnels were also built such that the covering of the tunnels could close shut to prevent water pumped in by the American soldiers from flooding the other levels. From the photograph, you can also see how they used the water table to build a well in the tunnel. And also provided an escape route through the river when they needed to use that. All this built by hand, no fancy machines that are available today. Amazing is the only word I can think of.

The above photograph shows how tiny the Viet Congs were based on the size of the entrance to the tunnel.

The Viet Congs were also skilled in building traps and these traps were not meant to kill immediately but to buy time before the Viet Congs came around to finish off the job. The photograph above shows how harmless that patch of grass looks like but below, you will see how the grass patch area will swing around and whoever walks on it will fall and only to be welcomed by bamboo spikes with the tips covered with poison.

First look at the photograph below and you will probably think ANTS or TERMITES. But this is actually an air vent that has been disguised to look like an ant hill.The air vent allows the tunnels to be well ventilated and right at the base you can see opening and during the war, the guns would be sticking out of those holes, aimed at the American soldiers.

There are tunnels which have been enlarged if you're game to go in. Though not obvious from the photograph below, there's actually a depression or crater left by a bomb that exploded there.

Below is an interesting looking water tap which was made by bamboo and water from the ground. Clever huh!

It was a good visit to the tunnels and I have to say that the Vietnamese who were fighting back then were truly brave and they persisted in their war to save their beloved country. Everyone - ordinary farmers, daughters of farmers came forward in that fight to save their country. Very admirable the determination to keep what belonged to them.

We then headed to an Ethnic Cultural Village where we can lunch and had the views (photographs above and below) all to ourselves over lunch.

It was a good first visit to Vietnam and I would definitely would like to return to explore the other parts of Vietnam!

Beware of the Pickpockets!

2009-11-20T00:57:00.001+08:00

Although the focus of the Vietnam trip was to visit the orphanages, we did manage to include some sight seeing of the city. I was impressed by what I saw in Ho Chi Minh city - a modern city that any guests would find welcoming. It's a mix of things East and West. You see the locals in their conical hats selling fruits along the streets and just a few shops down you will see a coffee house or a wine bar that reminds one of those you see on the streets of Paris.

One of the places we visited was the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, located at the famous Paris Commune Square in the Ho Chi Minh City. The cathedral was established by the French colonists, constructed between 1863 and 1880.

Next to the cathedral is the Central Post Office, another prominent feature of Ho Chi Minh City. This grand old edifice was constructed between 1886 and 1891 by Gustave Eiffel and the architectural design of this Central Post Office represents the French colonial style.

The Central Post Office reminds me of the Central Train Stations that you see in most European countries. It's pretty awesome structure with the huge clock at the central pavilion. And when you walk in, you will be greeted by a huge poster of Ho Chi Minh.

Hidden inside these booths are phones if you want to make that overseas call home. There were also booths with ATM machines inside. Pretty neat way to conceal the machines.

And at the Central Post Office, other than writing postcards to send home, you can also buy little trinkets - local handicraft for your loved ones. They accept both USD and the local currency Dong.

Our local guide had warned us to be careful of pickpockets and always make sure our belongings were safe and within sight at all times. It was unfortunate that one of the team members had her camera stolen while we were at the Central Post Office.

Am sharing this so that you too will be careful when you're there. The pickpockets usually work in pairs, pretending to be couples. They are young and look relatively harmless. They tend to prey on groups of school children visiting the countries. They will pretend to be looking at souveniors too, then casually turn to the children to ask where they are from and so forth. Unaware to the children, these pick pockets have already studied the children closely and were waiting for the right moment. Even with the adults standing close by, these pick pockets were able to snip off one of the girls camera that was hanging on her wrist (while she was picking some trinkets to buy).

When we discovered the camera was stolen, we looked around and guessed it was the couple as they were watching us. But I guess they felt safe as we had no proof and being in a foreign country, we could not just go up to them to search their bags.

After that incident, we were a lot more vigilant. We came across another pair when we were at the Museum. I noticed the couple joining our group and they pretended to listen to the guide as he briefed us. I took a step back and that was when I saw how they were observing the children, walking around to see who they should prey on. They continued to follow us even though one of the adults asked who they were (they claimed to be university students doing a project - interestingly though, they had no paper or pen to take notes and understood very little English yet pretended to listen to our guide who was briefing us in English). Thankfully, the adults were vigilant and kept a close eye on the children. This time round, they were not successful but one camera stolen was already one too many. If you're interested, check out this site for more tips.

Children of Vietnam ...

2009-11-19T23:47:00.001+08:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh City with a team as part of work. The focus of our visit was to provide our Singapore children the opportunity to visit three orphanages and they would have opportunities to interact as well as represent the items they had raised before the trip.

It was my first time to Vietnam and it turned out to be a trip that I will remember for a long while. This post is dedicated to the many children we met at the orphanages and I wished I could have done more for them. The orphanages are doing their very best to provide the basic needs for these children and any help that we can offer them will be greatly appreciated.

The child below loves being photographed. He was more than happy to pose while I snapped away ...

During the visit, the Singapore children brought balloons that were quite a hit with the Vietnamese children.

Even after the balloons had burst while the kids were playing with them, a couple of the kids below were quite happy to chew and stretch the balloons.

I was more worried about the balloon snapping and hitting their faces but they didn't seem too bothered by that at all.

One of the orphanages had some of the boys with pretty cool hair cuts. We did ask the guide but he wasn't able to explain the reasons why.

The children at the orphanages ranged from newly born babies abandoned by their mothers to teenagers who have been in the home for many years. The older teens were pretty camera shy. So you'll notice that I have more pictures of the younger children.

These two boys caught my attention because they were roughly the same age as my nephews and it was really really sad thinking that these boys had no one to cuddle them and spoil them silly. Very very sad.

The little fella below is a real sweetheart. Had the most beautiful smile that makes you want to just pick him up for a cuddle.

Equally as adorable were the little girls at the orphanages. This lil sweetheart is gorgeous and she was thrilled when I showed her the photograph of her after I took this shot. She happily pointed to herself and nodded her head.

If you're wondering why the girl below has stickers on her face? Well, our Singaporean children brought stickers for the kids to paste on the cards but I guess some of the stickers ended up elsewhere. Don't worry, the stickers come off easily.

During the visit to one of the orphanages, there were some local University students there and we learnt that they spent their Sundays there with the children. It was heart-warming to see the youths spending time playing, feeding and just caring for the children there. It was meal time and some of the youths were helping to feed the younger children below.

Looking at this kiddo, made me want to just reach out and hug him.

This sweetheart below just caught my attention and I was just snapping my camera away. I think it's her sad eyes that made it very difficult to just walk away ..

Same girl again and yes, if I could bring her home, I would have ...

As mentioned before, the older kids were a lot more camera shy. But at one of the orphanages, I managed to take a shot of this girl. She and her brother were happily playing with the Singapore children and I think this photo captured how she felt then.

This boy below truly impressed me. He is camera shy and I had to trail after him to get a photo of him because I wanted to acknowledge his 'work'.

Let me explain some ... I was going around taking photographs of the children at the orphanage and when I came to this boy, he was dodging me because he was real shy. So I turned my attention to the others, not realising that he was watching what I was doing. Each time I take a photograph, I would show it to the child so that s/he could see it. He was curious and took a look. Next thing I knew, he grabbed my DSLR and peeped into the camera window and tried to press the buttons but I think his little fingers weren't strong enough. So I held the camera for him and helped pressed the button. After each shot, I showed him what he took. And after two or three shots, he knew what he had to do and I was impressed by what he took. At that moment, I wished I had a spare camera to give to him to let him explore. Let me share with you three shots by him ...

Above is one of the little boys who was in the room when he took the shot. Below is one of the care-givers who was looking after a baby in the room.

He then dragged me and the camera to his friend below so that he could take a shot of him too.

Although we did spend a day doing the touristy thing and visited some of the local attractions (will do a separate post as I do not have as many photographs of those), the visits to the orphanages ... those memories will stay with me for a long while. To the children, we were probably some people who came and left, but to many of us who visited the orphanages that day, these kids truly touched our hearts ....

I caved in hangs head in shame

2009-11-01T13:14:00.002+08:00

Yes, I caved in and watched, not ONE but TWO korean dramas in a week (weekend to weekend). It has been so long since I watched one, I think it was Grand Chef that I watched last. So I was itching to watch one and yeah, that meant watching till wee hours in the morning and going to work a little tired. But usually a can of coke did the trick to wake me up so that was my daily perk up. Not good for the health but things are back to normal. At least until I stumble upon the next korean drama *grins*

Let me just share the two dramas that I saw. I prefer the romantic comedies where the storyline is ALWAYS the same. Yes, ALWAYS. There will be one lead gal, with two guys usually going after her. And there will also be another supporting female character in there. Somehow, the lead gal and guy will start by hating each other and of course along the way, you need to through in some obstacles (how else to sustain to at least 16 episodes yah?) like an accident, family objection, you name it, there's usually a drama that will cover it. But the ending is such that the lead gal and guy will end up happily ever after. And I have no idea why these dramas still manage to hook me in when stories are so predictable. So if you're asking me if you should watch either one of these dramas? I'll say go for both and enjoy!!

First one I saw was The Vineyard Man and here's the synopsis from DramaWiki:

'In this romantic-comedy, (an adaptation of the book The Vineyard Man by Kim Rang), Yoon Eun Hye (same girl in Coffee Prince Shop) plays Lee Ji Hyun, a clothing designer in Seoul, who reluctantly leaves home for one year to work at her grand uncle’s vineyard in a small village. However when arriving in the country, she reunites with a Jang Taek Gi Oh Man Suk, a local resident who had been wrongfully arrested in Seoul by police after Ji Hyun reported having a dress-which she had designed-had been stolen. The two clash frequently as Ji Hyun has a difficult time adjusting to life in the country and working with Taek Gi. However, after many twists and turns Ji Hyun adapts to rustic life while falling in love with Taek Gi.'

On a personal note, what I like about this drama, other than the gorgeous vineyards and sunflower field, is that it's a reminder to not be too quick to judge people based on what you see. Often there's more to the 'story' that what you see on the surface and it often takes time and patience to find our the true person or story. I guess this holds true for me at work or even outside work, where I may meet with a range of people, from adults to kids and often, I'm in a hurry that I may not even realised that I need to stop, put everything down and just devote that time (which may not even be that long) to listen, and I mean really listen to that person. I realised that it has become a bad habit for me to multi-task, like answering a call while checking my emails. I don't like it when that happens because I remember I never used to do that before. But for the last few years, pressed for time, I had to learn to multi-task and it meant cutting things down to the dare essentials and deleting what's 'extra'. But I guess it's from these 'extra' information that one gets the true sense of the situation and maybe even a better understanding of what the other person is REALLY trying to say. Hmm ...

Second one I watched has the same guy from 'Grand Chef', Kim Rae Won (mugshot below), and he looks as cute in this 2006 drama, 'What Star Did You Come From?' (mind you, there are several variations to the translated English title for this drama).

Here's the synopsis from DramaWiki for 'What Star Did You Come From?':

'Seung Hee, after losing his girlfriend in a tragic accident, left for 3 years. When he came back, he sought to make a film in a rural area. Someone caught his eye – Bok Shil, who looks exactly like his deceased girlfriend, Hye Soo. Seung Hee followed Bok Shil in order to get some answers, and ended up falling for her. Still the questions remain, is he attracted to Bok Shil because of the memories of his ex-girlfriend, or does he like Bok Shil for who she is? What happens when competitors come into the picture and families opposing their love?'

Hmm, for this drama, it's about being true to yourself. You're probably screaming right now, 'Liz, it's just a bloody korean drama!!!' *laughs* Hey, I have to justify the time watching these dramas lah! At times, when we take on new roles, we are expected to conform to the new norms or expectations. Which is fine yah. But when you are in a situation where the 'new' you and the 'true' you are in conflict, then you need to decide which is important. And I have a feeling that most of us will pick the easiest path of conforming (especially when, for example, the other path requires giving up the kind of lifestyle one is use to) but ultimately, we need to be okay with that choice. It's about choices. Some may see it as 'selling' out. I don't. I see it as a choice one makes as an adult, and then living with the consequences as a result of that choice. with no regrets. Forgive me my friends, I am rambling some ... guess this is an issue that I have been thinking about, and still thinking about *frowns* and have not reached a point where I am 'okay' with my choices. Hey, I didn't say it was going to be easy so bear with me ... *grins*

A quick update ...

2009-10-24T12:14:00.001+08:00

Yes, I am still alive. Yes, I am still in Singapore. Yes I am still working at the same place. But it has been a long while since I posted anything and it's mainly because I usually get home too tired to do anything. And sometimes, am forced to clear my emails so once I do that, it's head to bed time. So am just going to do a quick update for now.

I recently signed up to go back to the classroom and it's a three year course, once a week on Fridays, from 6pm to 9pm. Lessons also spill over during the longer school holidays. Weekends are now spent for Hula Class and Sundays been allocated as 'Reading Day' to catch up either on readings from class or assignments for class. So managed to find some hiding holes where minimal distractions (tried studying from home but cable tv - way too distracting). The first module is nearly over and we're in the midst of doing the assignments. The last few weekends, have been meeting up with the group to discuss the work - it has been pretty intensive but guess need to do what needs to be done to ensure we pass and move up as a cohort :o) It's definitely much harder to study and work at the same time but this has been something that I have been toying with for many years. There were always excuses, new position at work, new work location etc. So finally signed up and have friends who are also in the course in the same position so am in good company!

So bear with me if my posts are as regular. Am still trying to find that balance to do 'fun things' while completing work and study. I had a craving to do some jewelry making and sewing recently but didn't have the stamina to get started *laughs* Yes, signs of ageing indeed!!!

Alrighty, back to some work now. Came across a new Korean drama that I am quite keen to watch. Hmm, dare I start ...

A bimbo moment ...how many bags does a girl need?

2009-09-06T00:09:00.001+08:00

I am in such a procrastinating mode that it's not funny. So am just aimless surfing the net to see what I can find that's interesting. I guess I am in a shopping mood. And since I am not shopping shopping for now, will just surf and find things that I would like to buy in case I wake up tomorrow morning to find that I inherit HEAPS of money *laughs*. I am in a Bag Lady mood so let's see what I can find ...

I found these cool keybags, where each bag is made from 393 keys from computer keyboards. You can buy it from the site for 130 Euros (for the black and white version) to 145 Euros (for the gorgeous pink and orange version). Now, no prizes for guessing which one I am eyeing *grins*.

I am a strong support of things handmade so naturally I spent some time at etsy to see whats new. I came across on etsy this pretty handpainted bag for about US$48.00. The artist is in Beijing, China and it may take a week for the bag to get to you after payment.

Clutch bags are usually tricky because they are usually too small for me to put all my stuff in. But recently, am learning to pack light when I head out at night so that I don't have to lug around a handbag. So this gorgeous clutch bag below would be lovely to have. But at US$56.00, it will just have to go on my wishlist right now!

I usually lug my netbook around over the weekend and it would be nice to have a cool laptop bag like the one below from Mareri for US$50.00.

Colour for the next wristlet by Squirrellicious is rather bold but I guess it's a nice change though there's a black and white version. At US$35.00, not too bad ya. It's about 20cm by 18cm so not big enough to put alot of stuff but great for the evening out. Hmmm ....

Okay, this next site is not about handbags but is an online store, Gizmine, that sells the cutest gadgets. Read careful. I said cutest, not necessarily useful but they may actually make work alot more fun. For instance, if you have US$29.99, you can get this toy boy mouse that moves the way you want *laughs* Yummy huh? Well, do they have the guys' version so guys won't feel left out either. Go check out the other kawaii gadgets on that site!

This is not related to shopping but just found it interesting so am gonna just plonk it here. It seems that if you work for Lego, your business cards will be in a form of a toy figure which looks like you with your details printed on the toy figure. That is like so creative! So what if carrying your name card can be a little tough but who cares. These are just so cool. Now anyone knows anyone who works in Lego so that I can get one of these?

Alrighty, enough for tonight. Let's hope I will be able to get some work done tomorrow, including the additional 10 minute homework, otherwise ...

Surfing some ....

2009-09-05T20:42:00.000+08:00

I am simply amazed by the kind of '-opoly' board games you can find these days. Everyone is riding on Monopoly's success and coming up with anything that you can possibly think of. I think I might have blogged about it before that when I travel, I do try and look out for the local version of Monopoly and bring it home as a souvenior from the country.

Today, while surfing for something else (yeah, online retail therapy time), I came across this rather interesting cool photo-opoly board game from Photojojo which by the way, is a pretty cool online shop for things got to do with photography. But a little later on Photojojo, now let's look at this photo-opoly.

How does photo-opoly work? You dig out your photographs, pick your favourite ones. There are spots on the board for your photographs, which are about 1 & 1/4 inch square. So you may want to find a photograph of that size or resize and print it out. The stick it on with the glue stick which comes with the board.

These spots are for the normal Monopoly real estate spots. Then go ahead and create your own labels. Really use your imagination and come up with your own themed board games. I would probably do a travel theme if I had this boardgame. I just need to see how I can get my hands on one of these locally. Didn't see it at Toys R Us. May have to ship it in, just need to find one with a reasonable shipping rate...

Next, back to Photojojo Store. It's really a cool place and I have already picked out several things I want (not need ya, want *grins*). For example, for US$50, you can get this retro-ly hip bowler bag for your SLR camera. Go check out the website to see how it looks with the camera in it.

For US$10.00, you can get this bottle-cap that allows you to use any plastic bottle as a tripod for your camera. Sure beats lugging around a tripod stand and these bottles are easily available anywhere. This bottle-cap fits most plastic bottle. Cool ya. I want!!!

For US$20.00, I can pick a strap for my camera. And best part, there are SEVEN different colours to choose from - burgundy, teal, silver, lime, red, white and gold. And if the straps look familiar? Yeah, they are your regular car seat belts *grins* Cool huh?

And if I had another US$30.00, I would get this monster-mini tripod that holds the usual compact camera and able to stick to over 1000 surfaces and objects, even upside down! *sighs* Nice ...

That's a total of US$110 and there's heaps more that I would love to buy from that store. Now just need to rework my budget for next month to include some of these yummy goodies in my shopping basket *grins*

I luv my bolster ...

2009-09-01T20:15:00.000+08:00

I love my bolster but it's too embarrassing to take a photo of it in its current state because of it's almost 'dead' state *laughs* you bolster users will know what I am talking about ya. Bought a bolster today to replace my old one (usually takes a few days to get use to the new bolster) and I remember having conversations about bolster with friends before.

For us Singaporeans, it's quite a common thing to have bolster in bed with us. It is so common that when we buy bedsheets in a set, it includes (and we EXPECT it too) bolster cases. For us Malays, we call it 'bantal peluk' which means hugging pillow. And I feel totally lost without a bolster. When am travelling, I usually ask for extra pillows because it just feels weird to not have a bolster!

Now, to a western who has not seen a bolster used the way we do it here in Singapore (and even other parts of South East Asia), s/he would be wondering why would anyone want to sleep with a pillow in between his/her legs *laughs* I swear it's really comfy!!! Guess it's a cultural thing huh?

Anyways, was wondering how bolsters came about and wiki-ed BOLSTER and found some information which I have included below. Guess it's not an Asian thing, just that it's called by a different name in the West. Happy reading ...

"A bolster (etymology: Middle English, derived from Old English, and before that the Germanic word bulgstraz) is a long narrow pillow or cushion filled with cotton, down, or fibre. In western countries, it is usually placed at the head of bed and functions as head or back support. In southeast Asian countries, in particular Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the bolster is designed to be hugged when sleeping. It is called a dakimakura in Japanese. In the Philippines, many call it the "hotdog pillow" (or more natively, "tandayan") following the close resemblance to the food bearing that name. In Chinese, its hanyu pinyin is "bao zhen" (lit. "hugging pillow"). In cantonese, it is called "Lam Chim". The Indonesian/Malay folks called it "bantal peluk" or "bantal guling".

Tradition suggests that a wife would fashion the bolster out of bamboo and give it to her husband when he travelled away from home so that he would not be lonely at night, hence the name "bamboo wife," or "Dutch wife," or chikufujin in Japanese.

In many Chinese and Malay families, children are provided with a bolster and the habit of sleeping with a bolster carries over into adulthood. It is said that hugging a bolster will calm one's mind when sleeping, and, in the hot tropical climate of Singapore and Malaysia, it is often too hot to cover oneself with a blanket when sleeping, especially in a non-air-conditioned room, hence hugging a bolster will avoid catching a cold. Bolsters also helps avoid skin from touching and rubbing resulting in irritation and fungal infections. Instead its cotton covers absorb perpiration helping its hugger to cool down naturally.

In the past, it was common for people to make their own bolsters. Old folks usually made the inner cover with a slit at its centre and stuff cotton wool until it is fairly compact and then sewing the slit up. A bolster cover is then made, with tie strings at its end, to keep it clean. Now most shopping centres and Department Stores like Target, John Little, do sell ready made bolsters with different insert/fillings to cater to different needs and price ranges. Because of its popularity among the locals, bedsheet sets often come with matching pillow and bolster cases.

In more traditional Chinese families, a newly-wed couple's wedding chamber will most likely have a bed that comes with two pillows and one bolster with embroideries of love birds, flowers etc and are usually bright red in colour. It is said that the bolster is to provide the husband with something to hug when the wife is not in the mood or vice versa.

In many other countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, a bolster is quite different. They use a bolster the way what some western countries use their body pillows. These are pillows that the sleeper can rest his head on and also hug it with both arms and legs. This is great for children who like the comfort of sleeping with something and the habit extends to adults too. It is also good for people who have hip, shoulder, or back problems. The sleeper can adjust the body pillow bolster to make sleeping more comfortable.

The use of the bolster is so common among Indonesian people that most local hotels provide bolsters for their guests. However, this is less common in westernized hotels in bigger cities in Indonesia. In Singapore, most hotels do not provide bolster for guests unless they specifically request it.

The equivalent of bolster in the western countries is the body pillow. So exactly what a bolster is depends a bit on the country you live in. No matter where you live, it is long and narrow rather than square or rectangular pillow for the head. Bolsters for the bedroom are often cylindrical."

Could this be a sign ....

2009-09-01T20:00:00.000+08:00

Update on 1 September 2009: How disappointing! Received an email that the lecture has been cancelled because the speaker was unwell and was advised to return to the States for treatment. Was so looking forward to this. I sure hope this doesn't mean that *reaches out for the wooden table* ....

I was clearing my email before I start on some work and came across a mailer from Asian Civilisations Museum on an upcoming talk. After the weekend trip to Angkor Wat, I was actually considering Borobudur as my next weekend trip. The area being earthquake prone (think one took place in 2006), I am not sure how long these ancient structures will be around longer so would definitely like to see this temple and a few other great ones at Jogjakarta.

So receiving this email is a real good sign *grins* So am gonna sign up and go for this talk. If you're interested, drop them an email to 'chope' a spot. Have copied the info below or you could go to ACM's main website.

(3 things that made me happy today: 1. Found information about inter-tidal walk for Chek Jawa and there's one coming up on 18 Oct so hoping that I can book for that. 2. Broke fast while driving home from work with yummy Crunchie Chocolate from my 'Angel' at work. 3. Did some grocies shopping and bought some nice things for a hamper I am putting together for somebody.)

Bian-hong: Mastermind of Borobudur?
02 Sep 09 . Wednesday . 7.00pm - 8.45pm @ Ngee Ann Auditorium, ACM Empress Place

Hiram Woodward will provide a tour of Borobudur, describing the nature of the spiritual ascent that culminates in the open terraces at the summit. The meaning of these terraces has never been well understood, and the speaker will present new theories about their meaning. He will discuss the possibility that a Javanese monk who studied Tantric Buddhism in China in the late 8th century might have returned to Java and played a role in the design of this monument.

The Javanese monk, known only by his Chinese name Bian-hong, arrived in the Tang capital of Chang-an in 780 and was initiated into the Womb Mandala by Hui-guo (also the teacher of the Japanese master Kukai). Dr. Woodward’s presentation will explore the hypothesis that Bian-hong subsequently returned to Java and was involved in the design of Borobudur. He will propose that the template for the design of the upper terraces of the monument was derived from a letter diagram found in Tantric texts.

Borobudur can be interpreted in the light of texts illustrated in its reliefs. But other texts were involved, and which texts these were is a matter of controversy. Dr. Woodward will present new views concerning these texts.

About the speaker

Hiram Woodward, Curator Emeritus of Asian Art, Walters Art Museum (Baltimore), is the author of The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand (1997) and The Art and Architecture of Thailand from Prehistoric Times through the Thirteenth Century (2003). He is an art historian who received his doctorate from Yale University in 1975. His first publication concerning Borobudur appeared in 1981.

This lecture is organised by the Research and Publications Unit of ACM.

Due to limited seating, registration is required. Please R.S.V.P to nhb_acm_rpu@nhb.gov.sg by 1st September, Tuesday. Successful registrants will be notified by email.

Talk is free. Admission charges to galleries apply.

A lil bit of this and a lil bit of that ...

2009-08-24T22:24:00.008+08:00

Have two things I want to post today and because I am just sheer lazy, am going to collapse everything to just one post instead of breaking them up into two different posts.

I was watching the last bit from Miss Universe (just to clarify, when I switched on the telly, that happened to be on so I watched since they were going to announce the results). And yes, was impressed that Miss Venezuela won AGAIN. Obviously, what they are doing to manufacture these beauty queens are working. Read about how the girls transform to perfect women with nips and tucks and what have you. But what I was interested in was one of the prize that they were giving to the winning Miss Universe.

So this portion of my post is dedicated to my dear friend, Gadget Girl *grins*. You know who you are lah!!! :o) I just had to share this with you and anyone else who might be interested. I love it because it's *drum roll* PINK. It's not a common brand here in Singapore but quite popular in the States. Let me present you with the DXG Luxe HD Camcorders.

A little more about this cutesy little camcorder from a site I came across:

DXG USA has unveiled the new DXG Luxe line of high-definition “couture camcorders” that combine high-quality video recording with fashionable design. The DXG-Riviera features a chic, quilted pattern with silver or bronze details and crystal accents in three colours. The DXG-Soho comes in a hip pink or blue argyle pattern with stylish leather accents. Both models record high-definition (720p) video, take 8-megapixel still photos (apparently interpolated from 5 megapixels) and feature a 3-inch LCD screen—all on a compact form factor only 1 1/2-inches thick. Neither camcorder has optical zoom though. The DXG Riviera and the DXG Soho models each retail for $149.99.

Sweet huh? *grins* So which do I like best? Gotta be the Pink DXG Soho Model, (pink one from the second row) followed by the Pink DXG Riviera (pink one from the top row). Gadget Girl, we need to have a conversation on this when I meet you next ya!

I usually have quite a bit of driving to do and while listening to Jean Danker (and her new buddy on air, Tim) on Car Tunes (Class 95) this evening, they ended by sharing three things today that made them happy. Jean shared that she saw that on Deepak Chopra's Twitter on '3 Things That Made Me Happy' and wanted to end the show differently. Such a simple activity that could be really powerful. Sometimes we are so caught up by things that make us sad, angry, frustrated that we forget amidst all that, there were things that made us happy too.

So made a pledge to share the 3 Things That Made Me Happy for the next one month. Made a pact with Slawek to end each evening with that. And if anyone else game to do this with me, let me know and let's share our three things for an agreed period of time. Who knows, it might go on for more than a month *grins* Till then, let's aim for a month.

My Three Things That Made Me Happy
Mind you, these three things are in no order of preference because all three made me real happy:

1. Having a nice dinner (that wasn't planned ahead).

2. Ehh, second one I cannot mention here because I might just get into trouble *laughs* so am bringing up my number three to number two. Ended my evening with yummy Bubble Tea (Mango Milk Tea with Pearls from Each A Cup). Yes, I am hooked on Bubble Tea. Will blog about that another time!

3. Received an unexpected sms from a friend in the afternoon to ask about something. Made me smile because we both were feeling hmmm _ _ _ _ _ in the middle of the day.

So what are the 3 things that made YOU happy today?

Turning 37 ...

2009-08-19T20:03:00.002+08:00

Turned 37 today but didn't have much time to think about it thanks to a rather busy schedule at work. Driving home from work gave me ample time though to think what I could blog about. I did think of listing 37 things that I am grateful for but at Number 10, I realised that I would probably bore myself, what more people stumbling upon the post. So did a strikethrough for that idea.

Instead, I am just going to share what are some of the things I am looking forward for the year ahead. I have taken steps to move forward in some areas and could do better in other areas. But there are some things I would like to do more now for myself.

I have toyed with the idea of going back to school for sometime but the timing never seemed right. But this year, partly thanks to the encouragement of a friend, we both signed up to further our studies. It's been one lesson so far but I reckon it's going to get harder because it's a three year part time programme, with lessons once a week on Fridays from 6pm to 9pm (that's when my brain usually goes into shut down mode), and we're expected to keep on track with the readings and assignments. It was the best option right now though doing my studies full time would be a smarter idea but due to commitments, not an option for my consideration. So will have to be more disciplined and try to juggle work and studies.

I have also decided to dedicate more me time for myself which I think I have been neglecting for something. I recently did a thinking profile and oddly, one of the thinking styles that came out a little too strong was altruism (where one puts others way before self). I didn't think very much about it before but that profile got me thinking. I am uncomfortable with the term 'altruism', I think my personality is such that I tend to prefer peace and harmony among people around me, and I tend to ensure that their needs are met first so that everyone is happy and sometimes, it means me being miserable. This is so ingrained in me that it will be tough to change but I will make a more conscious effort to do so.

Thanks to a recent getaway over the weekend with my dear friend, I realised that it's quite difficult for me to actually plan in advance long (i.e. two weeks) trips. I wish I could do it yearly because I do enjoy traveling but it's not as simple as it seems. But what I can do instead is use long weekends (plenty next year) to nearby places in the region so that I still get a chance to travel and be rejuvenated by that. It might be a little more costly I think so will have to see how I can work that out.

I also use the excuse 'no time' for heaps of things, even something as routine as going for a haircut or a nice massage to relax after a long and tiring week. I need to re-look at things and figure out why exactly do I think I do not have time for such things. Are these things perceived by me as frivolous so they don't go up on my priority list thus I think that I do not have the time for this? If I do not have time for these things, what am I spending my time on instead? So something to ponder about during my loooong drives to and fro work.

And another area that I would like to improve on would be my physical health. After Cambodia, I have not gone for any more walks and would like to pick up from where I stopped last. Will also need to explore how else I can work this into my work schedule. I usually leave work at 7pm and on most days would go to work by 8am. I may be able to go in a little later (9am) once a week so will have to check on possibility of going to the gym in the morning before work on that day. Need to check if there are any gyms available and within access for me to consider.

So quite a bit for me to think about and put into action. Not getting any younger so gotta start somewhere ya *grins* Also want to take this time to thank my dearest family and friends for their kind birthday wishes. Love you guys *big hugs* Below is a picture of the birthday cake that my bro and his family got me when we had a family dinner. Was nice having the family there and the lil hands you see are my lil nephews who patiently waited for me to take the picture before we could have CAKE!!!

The H.E.A.R.T Market ...

2009-08-08T23:36:00.004+08:00

Stumbled upon a flea market today while passing Waterloo Street. It looked rather cramped but dived in to check it out.

The H.E.A.R.T Market or the Handicrafters, Entrepreneurs, Artists and Retail Talents Market takes place every second weekend of the month at the Sculpture Square which is located at 155 Middle Road. This is at the junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street. A quick google surfaced more information about this market.

This socially conscious flea market focuses on promoting youth entrepreneurship and charity awareness. The market also partners with many charitable organisations such as Very Special Arts, Friends of the Disable Society, MKAC and Bizlink Centre.

From what I saw, there were stalls selling clothings and accessories (jewellery and bags). When I was there, the crowd wasn't so bad and I could still walk around comfortably through I can imagine with a larger crowd and how tables were laid out, it can get a little tricky. But I guess that's the fun part of them flea markets. Did I buy anything? Nothing caught my attention so walked away from there empty-handed after taking a few photos for this post.

If you're interested, here's more information. For a day, it will cost you SGD$50 per stall. Total cost is SGD $100/stall for whole event (you cannot rent just for one day, it has to be for both days). For this price, you also get the following:

3x3 feet table with table cloth and maroon skirting
2 chairs
Well-Sheltered: Large Professional Tentage with Ceiling Fans
Live Entertainment from our Live DJ and also our resident Live Band JAI Entertainment. (subject to band's availability)
Power Supply (F.O.C. on request, bring your own extension cords)

If you are a charitable organisation, or registered society who wish to gain more exposure via the H.E.A.R.T. Market, do feel free to drop them an email at enquiries@calaminesolutions.com. You can also get more information from their website.

A nice end to the evening ....

2009-08-07T22:47:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, we met at Centrepoint to have dinner and we went to our usual spot. It wasn't as packed and we got a nice booth at the corner. We had a very attentive waitress who didn't bug us until we were ready to order. And what made the dinner experience nice was her. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name so didn't get to praise her to her supervisor (I have done that at another branch because the girl who was serving us was really good, and went out of her way to get us what we needed for the meal).

What did this waitress do that I am even blogging about it? Let's see. I ordered a large bowl of noodle and asked for another bowl (so that we can split the noodles). Most of the time, I had to remind the waitress for the extra bowl because they would have forgotten my request. So when the noodles came, I was surprised because there were two bowls of noodles. I was all ready to return one bowl, thinking that she thought I ordered two bowls instead of one. But what had happened instead was that she asked the kitchen people to split the noodles into two and it came all split up, nicely arranged and all ... ready for us to eat. I was like WOW, she knew what I wanted to do and went ahead and got it done for me. I was IMPRESSED!

What I noticed in Singapore is that we always get ALL our food at the same time and we'll end up rushing through the food to make sure that we eat it while it's still hot. Sometimes it can get a little too much when I am still slurping on my soup and the main meal comes and I somehow have to figure out how to manage both at a time.

But what happened yesterday was the waitress came by to check on us but very discreetly. Somehow, she arranged it such that the dishes we ordered were spaced out nicely so that we could finish one dish first before the next one came. So we had time to savour the dishes separately, and when it was time to tuck into the next dish, it was still nice and warm. I guess it was a coordinated effort between the kitchen and serving staff but it was really nice.

Because of that, we left the restaurant feeling full yet spent half the amount of what we would normally spent for dinner there. And we felt good that we didn't rush and could enjoy a relaxing meal.

I was wondering though if it would be the same if it was packed with people on that day. Would the waitress still be able to arrange our meal like she did for us yesterday? I would really like to have that experience all over again the next time I go there because such experience basically brings the customers back over and over again. Nice :o)

A night with the Bard ...

2009-08-02T00:29:00.003+08:00

It was a good night with the Bard .... or rather with the three guys from the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Mag and I went for their Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and were laughing from the start to the end of the show.

What the company does is present the abridged version of ALL of Shakespeare's works in 97 minutes and I promise you that you will enjoy every minute of it. I last saw them 10 years ago when they were here last (found out today that the company has been in Singapore before and this is their third stint) and remembered how much I enjoyed their performance and no regrets going again tonight because it was just as hilarious!

If you have time, sit back and enjoy this video that I found online. Not the same as seeing it 'live' but it's the next best thing. Enjoy!

Caterpillars anyone?

2009-07-31T22:49:00.005+08:00

Recently, a colleague from work took orders for those of us interested in buying caterpillars. If you're wondering why would anyone BUY caterpillars? *laughs* Well, the kids in school learn about life cycle and what happens is when they buy these caterpillars, they also learn values like being responsible as they need to clean the container and feed the caterpillar twice a day. It was interesting to see the kids walking around school slowly (usually they would run from one point to another) with their containers (with two caterpillars inside) in their hands. They even brought the caterpillars to the canteen when they went for lunch because they didn't want to miss anything that the caterpillars might be up to *grins* Cute huh?

I bought four caterpillars for my nephews and delivered them to the boys the very same day that night. They were up so the two older ones were pretty excited to see the caterpillars. The older one knew what caterpillars were and talked excitedly about how he read about caterpillars before (he has the Very Hungry Caterpillar book so was probably referring to that). And his lil brother was excited probably because his older brother was excited *laughs*

But it was really awesome watching my 4 year old nephew totally engrossed with the caterpillars. Grandpa read to him a booklet that my colleague designed to be used with the caterpillars ... showed him the life cycle for a butterfly. And I told him that he must give me a call when the caterpillar turned to pupa. He named the caterpillars too ... I think at that age, he probably didn't realise that he could use other names because the biggest caterpillar was named after him, the smallest was his baby brother, the caterpillar with 'baby brother' was Daddy and the middle-sized caterpillar was his younger brother. Simple *grins*

And it was time for him to go to bed and he was determined to bring the caterpillars up to bed with him. It was really funny watching him trying to carry two plastic containers to bring up to bed and we had to convince him that caterpillars sleep outdoors. He relented when we said that he could have breakfast with the caterpillars when he woke up the next day.

And today, he called Grandpa all by himself (his first and even his Dad didn't know he made the call) to tell Grandpa that the caterpillar has turned to a butterfly (he actually meant to say pupa but I think it's an unfamiliar word). When asked if he has fed the butterfly, he explained to Grandpa that cannot feed anymore and the caterpillars finished eating!

Amazing how at such a young age they are so excited to learn and somehow along the way, as they get older, that sense of curiosity just some how disappear? I have wondered about this many a times. Parents and educators have important roles to play in ensuring that we continue to get our young ones excited about learning, curious about everything that happens around them and to question question question!

Am looking forward to visiting the boys tomorrow. Let's see if the pupa has turned to butterflies! :o)

Angkor Essentials - Farewell Siem Reap ...

2009-07-18T18:50:00.014+08:00

Day III : Siem Reap - Singapore

Yes, FINALLY DAY THREE *grins* We ended yesterday with a full body oil massage to help our aching bodies relax so we had a good sleep that night and all set for our last day. Our flight was at about 4 plus in the afternoon so we had the morning and lunch before we headed to the airport.

Our first stop was to the Artisans d'Angkor. I was a little hesitant about going there initially because I read that it was the usual touristy place with prices that are ridiculously high. But am glad I did go and learnt more about the place. It's a programme that trains young people in the traditional Cambodian handicraft such as silk painting, lacquer work, wood and stone carving. This was a collaboration between Chantier-Ecoles and the Provincial Office of Education, Youth and Sport. Not anyone can participate in this programme, but rather have to be selected and invited. Am not sure on the selection process through.

There will be a guide there who will take you around to explain the different workshops and also explain the different process in creating the various products. We, unfortunately, had a guide who was simply wanted to finish the tour quickly so it wasn't as informative. Above, a lady is working on some lacquer art piece. Below, one of the guys in the workshop working on a stone carving.

We then zoomed to the next workshop (photograph below) which was the wood carving area which was pretty cool. Obviously, it will take a while for the students to learn the skills but it gives them an opportunity to learn a skill and earn money to support themselves and their families.

We kinda broke away from the guide to take some photographs. Found the head (see below) that's work in progress intriguing but didn't see the matching body around.

Then saw this wood carving below and took this shot but wasn't too happy with the 'distractions' around in the background. I remember I was frowning away thinking that I wanted a shot, dunno what shot, but definitely wanted a shot of this statue but didn't want to touch anything around in case I damage anything. The place was a little messy and there were chairs scattered around. And there was the tour guide who was waiting impatiently too *laughs* yeah, I get stressed out over the silliest things!

Had to make a decision to either forget about the shot or do something quickly. So walked around some tables and chairs, finally got to the front and took this shot below. It's not great but sure beats the one above and I am pleased with how it turned out.

A few more shots of other items in the room and we were done. Guide could go back to chatting with his other guide friends and we went to the Artisan d'Angkor to shop. Yes, the items there were expensive but we also realised that quality wise, it was also much better than those we saw at the markets. So for cheap souveniors, get from the markets. But for the special people (including yourself), you may want to get them gifts from here. We got quite a few things from here and left feeling very pleased with ourselves.

When Mr Chenla picked us up at the hotel after breakfast, he had good news for us. For the last two days, we have been asking about taking the balloon ride but the weather was suitable for that. But thankfully, on our last day, the weather was okay for the balloon ride so we did a detour for that before heading to the next item on the itinerary.

The Angkor Balloon (see above), which was a tethered helium balloon, gave us a bird's eye view of the Angor Heritage site. The balloon is attached to a 'cage' (see below) that allows visitors to walk around when up in the sky.

We went up to about 180 metres and stayed up for about 10 minutes (yeah, way too short!). Depending on the weather, you can see the Angkor Temple, Phnom Bakheng Temple, area of Bayon Temple, West Barray Lake and Angkor City (according to the pamphlet). But to see all these things, you need several things - good clear weather, binoculours, good camera that allows you to zoom real far and a guide/guidebook to tell you exactly where all those places are!

Mag had her binos so that came in handy. But we couldn't get good shots from our compact camera. And the weather was also cloudy so we only could see the temples clearly when we were descending and the clouds were clearing. Anyways, I still think we were pretty lucky to have had the chance to go up on the balloon so we'll take whatever we can.

If you try and look real hard (photograph above), you may be able to make out the moat that surrounds Angkor Wat (check the photograph below).

Not very clear below but that's actually the area that we climbed up to go to Phnom Bakheng on Day II to see the sunset.

For USD15, you get to 'fly' for 10 mins and it's quite an awesome experience even though the sky was rather cloudy. But a must have experience. If you can afford it, another thing you might want to try is a helicopter ride. That was just a bit off our budget so we settled for the balloon instead.

In Siem Reap, the best way to get around would be the local version of the Tuk Tuk (see below). Very comfortable but you just have to beat with the smoke, fumes, dust and the reckless driving by the tuk tuk drivers. But it's cheap (remember to bargain) way to move around.

Our next stop was the Floating Village at Tonlé Sap Lake. Wiki-ed some about the lake and found some interesting information about this lake. It is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.

The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, its flow changes direction twice a year, and secondly, the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake. Pretty cool because the houses on stilts also adjustable depending on the water level. Guess made sense of many of the houses to be floating to accomodate the changes in water level *grins*

Have to admit here that I expected something similar to the one in Bangkok but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. It's not as 'exciting' and 'busy' but at the floating village, you will witness the people carrying out their day to day routine, without any care of the many tourists going by in their boats (like the one below that we were on).

Below is our boat guy who took us around the floating village.

We saw several variations. There were people who had floating houses with their sampan to take them from one place to another (as in photograph below). There were others who lived on a boat house.

And if you see wooden cage like attachments to the house (some were below the house) those were the farms (see photograph below).

The photograph below shows a lady who lives in a boat house and has a little sampan. If you're wondering what she was doing, she was actually cooking on the sampan, thus the smoke.

There were many who were moving about in their boats. We even saw young children, probably 5 or 6 year olds, rowing their own sampans (usually one will bail water collected in the boat and the other will row or work the engine).

We also came across several schools, usually by foreign sponsors. The one below is a floating school for the Vietnamese children. Seems like there were quite a bit of Vietnamese and Chams living in the floating village.

We came across a floating church and mosque too. The mosque was probably for the Cham people, an ethnic group in South East Asia and form the core group of Muslims in Vietnam and Cambodia, and a small community lived in the floating village.

At same point, the boat driver will stop the boat at the centre of the lake and Mr Chenla went on to do same explaining about the lake. And you will notice sampans with motor engines speeding towards your boat and as they get closer to you, the adults on the sampans will start to row and there will be young children trying to sell you things. We had a small girl who tried to sell us a comb of bananas but we politely refused to buy anything. I remember reading online that for some boats, the drivers will pretend that the engine stalled and will remain stalled until somebody buys something.

We also had this little girl come to our boat in a tub begging for money. I was initially shocked because I thought she was rowing in the tub all the time.

But later saw her rowing towards a boat, got onto it and wait for the next tourist boat to come along (below). In there was an adult (the one who looks after the boat while she goes tubbing) who decided to take a nap while they waited. The choice is yours if you want to give them money or buy anything from them but don't feel that you HAVE to. We told our guide that we were good to go (before the next speed boat came our way, thought it was wiser for us to go). As much as I don't like having to deal with such situations, it's part and parcel of visiting any developing country.

On the way back, we stopped at a floating shop. Good for a toilet break if you need one (they have proper toilet bowls etc and relatively clean). They also have souveniors but be prepared to pay heaps for them.

Attached to the shop were two farms - fish and crocodile farms for tourists to have a closer look. Pretty nasty looking crocodiles and I was wondering how many had escaped and living along the shores of the Tonlé Sap.

The fish frenzy you see happening below was because the owner did a demo and threw in some fish feed and that got the fish all excited.

Both of us (below) at the pier after we got off the board. Lots to think about after the visit to the floating village.

What got me think were the children who at a very young age had to learn to survive. I saw a very young girl, maybe the same age as my nephew who is 3 years old, clinging on to the side of the boat with one hand, and the other hand trying to reach out to the water from the lake to wash her bummy (she probably just pooped and was cleaning herself). I remembered her hand shaking from the weight of supporting herself and straining to reach the water. Several minutes later, her mom saw what she was trying to do and went to help her by splashing water to her bummy while the girl remained dangling off the side of the boat. I was like panicking that the girl would fall into the water but I guess that's just life for them.

We left the floating village and were off for our last meal in Siem Reap. Along the way, we passed fields of beautiful water lilies and lotus flowers.

Again, constraint by what my compact camera could do, was feeling frustrated because it would have been really awesome to be able to take a shot of the field.

After lunch, Mr Chenla dropped us off at the Old Market. This was the market that I was asking the guide to take us too and I don't know why they waited till the last day to bring us here where we had a total of 20 minutes!!! Don't waste time at the Night Market people, head here instead where the good buys are and you have heaps of things to choose from.

Lots of gorgeous scarves (see below) at the Old Market, among many other lovely things. Not only do you find the souveniors to bring home, if you have time, you can also explore the wet market for the locals.

Saw quite a few stalls selling these lacquered pieces. Would have been nice to bring home one or two but unfortunately, we didn't have time to look around as we had one thing that we had to buy - our guidebook on Cambodia. We should have gotten it when we got there but we were just not in the mood to haggle prices with the many young children selling the books (and many other things).

We stumbled across this little shop that had a lady making some Cambodian Cookies (see below). It smelled yummy (taste yummy too) and upon closer look, these are like our love letters!!! Ingredients to make these Cambodian Cookies - fresh coconut milk, tapioca starch, palm sugar, eggs, salt and no preservatives.

Perfect gift for the family back home to try. For a box of 24 individually wrapped cookies costs USD15 and we managed to bargain it down to USD10 since we were getting total of 3 boxes.

With all our bags (as well as newly acquired items) we headed to the airport and bid farewell to Mr Chenla and the driver who spent 1.5 days with us. Remember to put aside USD25 per person for Airport Tax (International). You will need to pay upon departure after you check-in. We still had a lot of time and it was hot in airport so with drinks in hand, we settled down to read our recently acquired guidebook (yes, at the END of the trip) while we waited for the plane to come home.

It was a good weekend, a little tiring but I felt recharged after the trip and went back to work the next day all refreshed. It was great seeing Angkor Wat, Bayon and all the other temples in Siem Reap and I guess I don't have to go far to see such wonders when there are so many close to home. Maybe I should focus on travelling around the area for the next few years especially with the economy not picking up just yet. Where to next? Hmmm, Borobudur...I think the temple bugs bit me and I would love to see Borobudur and the other ancient temples nearby next! *grins* What do you think?

Update:
Found this website while surfing the net on shopping at Siem Reap. Wished I had found it earlier but honestly, with the weekend, we probably wouldn't have had time to see all the wonderful places mentioned in the website. But if you have time, check out it!

Angkor Essentials - Back to Angkor Wat ....

2009-07-17T23:36:00.019+08:00

We started the day at Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise and after lunch, we headed back to Angkor Wat. I was looking through my photographs and there's just heaps that I am going to share here because I think pictures speak a thousand words and would do a better job of describing what we saw.

Angkor Wat looked different in the afternoon and before the trip, researched online from people who have been there advised that the best time for photographing Angkor Wat was in the afternoon. But got to warn you though the the heat and humidity can be real bad. A non hat person like me succumbed and bought a hat and wore it during the visit to Angkor Wat. Most of the areas are covered walkways or inside the temple. And there were areas that were surprisingly windy. But those sections where we had to walk outdoors .... HOT!! *grins*

When we entered Angkor Wat through one of the entrances, Mr Chenla brought us to see the carving of this devata, or female deity. We were asking him what was so different about this devata to the ones we saw before. He explained that this devata was smiling. And we pointed out that others were smiling too. Then he explained specifically that this devata was smiling because her teeth were showing. Ahhhh, it all became clearer to us! *grins*

What was amazing about the devata (above) was the details on her, from her hairdo to her jewellery. Below refers to the many windows around the temple and it has to have seven columns though many were incomplete. As to seven, I cannot seem to remember why it has to be seven ... hmmm ... could it be because of the 'seven heavens' of the Hindu deities?

A rare moment below when the section we were at was totally peaceful *laughs* It's really rare. There were moments where Mag and I sat it out to just let people move ahead so that we didn't have to bear with their loud chattering.

During that trip to Siem Reap, I discovered the widescreen mode on my camera. Yes, I am useless when it comes to exploring. When I stumbled upon this mode, I was thrilled cuz I loved how the shots turned out. Like the one below. LOVE IT *laughs* Anyways, back to the carvings, they are not as clear as the ones in Bayon, but they are nonetheless pretty cool.

Carvings that showed of battles that took place (below). If you're wondering why there are portions of the carvings that are shiny. Well those are where visitors to the temple have left their mark by touching the carvings. Each time one person touch the carving, s/he leaves behind oils that actually do more harm than good for these carvings. So am appealing to travellers who are heading to Angkor Wat, go ahead take home photographs, just don't leave behind your finger marks on those walls.

Below is a close up of the army on the march to battle, probably against the Siamese soldiers.

A full shot of the soldiers, to the right - the Siamese soldiers and to the left, Khmer soldiers. Can you spot how they are different?

What was odd about the temple was how the ground was uneven and the authorities had put wooden steps for visitors to the temple. But I am curious as to why it was built that way ...

The two carvings below are from the third gallery of the south side east wing depicting the beatings and torture in the Judgement of the Dead.

Check out below the Guardians of the Underworld in action in the Judgement of the Dead.

What caught my attention below are those cool fan-looking things that the guys are carrying. Think those guys could be in a procession of sort.

Along the corridors we spot statues of Buddha (see below) and Mr Chenla explained that those were added in during the religious revolution during Jayavarman VII's reign in 13th century when the Khmer empire embraced Buddhism, leading to Angkor Wat to be converted from a Vishnuite sanctuary to a Buddhist monastry.

Female deities in a row below. Check out their hair-dos *grins* Pretty cool huh? Also check out the details on the devata.

We got to the central part of the temple and below you can see how steep the steps are. These have been closed since 2004 because of some accidents that took place. Wooden steps have been built that will allow visitors up. Unfortunately, it was ready when we were there.

We spent quite a lot of time here to just sit back and take the whole experience in. We found a nice shady spot (just below the windows below) and that was really really nice. It was quieter with few people at that section of the temple. Those are the moments that I really remember instead of the rush rush bits *grins*

Mag, just had to put this photograph of you here because I think you look great and I also love the contrast from your red top with the background. Reminder to self to not wear black if I am going to head to such places *grins*

Thanks to Mr Chenla who was always ready to take shots for us. He was a good sport and super patient. Hmmm, darn, I don't think I have a picture with Mr Chenla *thinks*

Below is a shot taken from the base of the steps to give you an idea of how darn steep the steps were. I have no idea how the Khmers in the past climbed those steps with the sedan (with the King seated inside). It's suppose to be steep to reflect the mountain that reaches the heaven (at least that's what I remember from Mr Chenla) but how practical can that be ya.

After easily about 20 minutes, we moved on to the first level which seemed like the central area that led to different parts of the temple.

There were monks who were also there and I think the contrast between their saffron robes against the background ... just awesome. Unfortunately, wasn't able to get any good shot of the temple and monk combi then.

Mag went on to climb this separate section while I stayed at the other end.

And from Mag's end, she took managed to get a shot of me waiting under the shade *laughs*

Found the columns interesting. Am not sure if they were formerly windows that have been sealed or were the columns purely decorative.

More devata with four different hairdos Also take note of the jewellery on them. Very cool. And guess which parts of the devata that people just had to grope? *laughs* Hint: Look out for them shiny spots!

After spending several hours, we were ready to leave as we had to make our way for the next and last temple for our stay in Siem Reap. While walking out, we had to take a separate and rather longer route to the exit (separate from the route taken by the locals)). I think they have separate routes for tourists to enter and exit because it can be rather crazy during peak season.

As we walked away, I saw this boy just sitting outside the temple, totally oblivious to the crowd of tourists around him. Wonder what he's thinking ....

We started the day watching the sun rising and we ended the day watching the sun set. Our next destination was Phnom Bakheng temple.

Phnom Bakheng, the 'Strong Hill', is a natural rise more than 70m high on which was built the temple mountain of the same name. That was the centre of Yashodharapura, the 'City that Bestows Glory', which was the new capital of Yashovarman I, who was crowned in 889. This has to be one of the earlier temples built. Photograph below shows the trail that we took to get to the base of the temple. It took us about 15 minutes up slope climb on the trail and yes, it was dead tiring for me *grins*

You can choose to go up the trail by elephants if you don't want to climb up, but be prepared to fork out USD20 for one trip up and another USD15 for a trip down. The photograph below shows base of the temple and the five terraces of the pyramid.

I hate heights and have this fear of stairs/steps because I just have this image of falling down steps and breaking my face *grins* Sign that I am getting older! But if you just go to the base of the Phnom Bakheng, you can see very much. So up I went with Mag and it was definitely worth it (see below for the view from the top). If like me, you hate heights, just make sure when you climb, get a good grip of the side of the stairway and don't look down. The steps are very narrow so climb one step at a time. No need to be a hero ya *grins*

We were on our own at the temple so we just spent time walking around and managed to finish taking all the shots in 15 minutes. And it was about 4 plus in the afternoon and sun was not due to set till 5.30pm.

Above is a corner prasat found around the temple. Below is probably another which has broken over time. But if you look close enough, you can see the devata.

More corner prasat against the sky background. That was close to the area where we sat for over an hour for the sun to set. Thankfully Mag had her ipod with her so we could plug in and chill out. There will be heaps of people around so 'chope' your spot so that you get a nice view of the sun setting. My regret was not having a chilled can of Coke up there with me because that would have been a great treat to end the day! *grins*

Unfortunately, the sky was too cloudly so we didn't have a great sunset, but it was still a sunset. And it was a nice way to end the day of temple hopping.

We decided to move off before it got too dark (take note that the trail closes at 5.30pm so they won't let you start the trail after 5.30pm) and also partly to beat the crowd. And we decided to take a different route down and here's a shot of how bad (and dangerous) it can be. I swear it's an accident waiting to happen. Somehow, people self-organised and separated those going up and down the temple. Going up is alot easier compared to going down. Very unglamorous but I basically got down to my butt and slid down step by step and cling on to the side for support. At some point, there were missing steps so just slide down. Anyways, everyone is too busy to even care how you look *laughs* Also look around and see how others are doing it and pick up some ideas from there too. What was amazing was how the locals were climbing up and down in heels and baby resting on their hips *shakes head*

Commented to Mag that we didn't have any photographs of the food we ate. And there's a very simple reason for that. Each time we sat down for a meal, we would be so hungry that when the food came, we just started eating *laughs* Two Khmer dishes that I like - Amok Fish and Beef with Khmer spices (no idea what's the local name for this dish). Khmer food is not spicy so it's great if you aren't keen on spicy food. But for us, we needed to have that kick. That was easily solved by asking for some cut chilli (we got chilli padi *grins*) and mix it with the dish and it was PERFECT!

One of the places we ate had Amok fish served in a coconut shell (see above) and they actually cut the cover in the shape of a heart. Cute or what ya!!!

Angkor Essentials - Raiding the tombs ....

2009-07-16T23:27:00.001+08:00

If you're wondering if I'm on to day three of our Siem Reap trip after the last post ... errrhh...actually I just finished the early part of the morning *grins* Don't forget we had an early start so there is still more of day two to come so brace yourself k!

The next temple that we visited Ta Prohm is now famous thanks to Angelina Jolene and her movie Lara Croft - Tomb Raider that was filmed there. And our Mr Chenla was the translator for the producers (or somebody involved in the filming) and he was proud to show us the spots where the camera crew did the screening. and I will share those spots with you too. Will have to rewatch the movie to confirm the spots though *grins*

Ta Prohm is also known as the temple of Brahma the Ancestor. It was consecrated in 1186 by Jayavarman VII, who dedicated it to his mother, deified as Prajnaparamita, the mother of all the Buddhas and Mistress of the 'Perfection of Knowledge'.

To get to the temple, we had to walk about 350m along a path in the forest. What caught my attention was how the roots of the trees were strangling the temple. According to Mr Chenla, the first site where the camera crew had up their equipments was to get the view you see below (information to be confirmed after I have rewatched the movie!)

And there were also designated 'hot spots' (one example is below where you see the root system very clearly) where platforms built for tourists to take shots home. We were told that the boardwalk and clearing was a recent thing. The original state of the temple was such that 'explorers' had to climb over huge blocks of broken bits of the temple. Nowadays, it's much easier for us to explore the temple and I guess it takes a way part of the excitement of exploring an abandoned temple :o)

The photograph below shows the Kapok Tree invading the gallery porticoes. Pretty amazing and it must have taken a long time for the roots to grow to that extent. Don't know about you but looking at the photograph below gives me goosebumps.

There are still lots of areas that are hard to go through because of broken blocks of stones (as seen below). Am not sure if you can see from the photograph (to the right of the photo), there were holes in the walls and these was where they used to store things. Now, as tempting as it is, DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS INTO THE HOLES which was what we nearly did to see how deep they were. Reason being, there might be creepy crawlies like scorpions lurking in the holes!

Another 'hot spot' (photograph below - which by the way gives me goosebumps when I look at the photograph each time *shivers* dunno why) for tourists and you really need to push your way and insist that it's your turn to take a shot. But you will get people who insist on standing in front of you to take a shot. So irritating. And I can just imagine how worse it will be during the peak period. A lady had to beg us to let her take this shot without anyone and we relented and I took the opportunity to grab a shot too *grins*

Once the lady got her shot, we quickly jumped into position before anyone behind us could 'cut queue' *laughs* Ohhh, being tourists can be oh so tiring!!!

I reckon Ta Prohm would be absolutely perfect if we had the place to ourselves, or at least fewer people there so that we could really take in everything. It was difficult when hordes of people are around and they get SO LOUD *sighs* many a times we felt like screaming SHHHHHH!!

This (photograph below) is the second location according to Mr Chenla. He showed us exactly where the cameras were set up *grins* and this was the shot they took. For the filming, they actually closed the temple to the public. Hmmm, not very nice thing to do especially if you don't have time to return (like us!)

Me (photograph below) taking a break from all the walking and the people. The path to take was pretty much fixed so you gotta move with the flow and that irked me because it meant moving at the rush rush pace as everyone else. It's like click click click (photo-taking) and then move, then click click click and then move on. So any opportunity to take a break and just slow things down was a good thing.

Eventually we had to move along and join the crowd. Just gotta shut out the noise and admire the temple around ....

There was a carver there who was working on a piece of horn and for this piece, he was actually carving the Angkor Wat on that piece of flat horn. Can't see from the photograph but the carving looked real good. But it was work in progress so no chance of buying it home *grins*

I don't know if you can tell but I was kinda pissed off because an Asian lady (I will not mention from which country) just stood in front of me to have her photograph taken. Yeah, lots of rambling and ranting for this post but I still can recall how irritating it can be when in a crowd.

Alrighty, time for a break. We headed for lunch break close by to Angkor Wat, which was our next stop. Will blog about what we tried and liked in Cambodia in terms of their food a little later.

Angkor Essentials - The Journey Continues....

2009-07-14T21:12:00.013+08:00

Day Two - Siem Reap, Cambodia

We headed to our next destination - Baphuon (see photograph below), which was situated 200m northwest of Bayon. It was completed in 1060 and was the centre of the capital of Udayadityavarman II. The path that you see leading to the temple is actually raised above ground (about 1m) on a platform supported by a triple row of round and short columns.

According to my faithful guidebook, it says that this exceptionally large temple mountain eventually collapsed because the engineering skills of the Khmers did not match their architectural aspirations. If you look at the photograph below, you can see cranes and scaffolding on the temple as at present, a grandiose restoration project us underway that will take some years to finish.

We walked all the way to the temple but unfortunately, they were closed on that Sunday that we were there. Bummer!! So we only had a glimpse of the exterior of the temple. Just got to go back then ya *grins*

We then walked on to the Terrace of the Elephants but came across the Royal Square (see below), planned by Jayavarman VII as a theatrical venue of parades and ceremonies.

Can you make out this pile of stones below? Initially my first thought was that it reminded me one of them totem birds but I think it's meant to be the many naga statues that we see at different temples, as a form of protection.

Cobbled pavements as we walked towards Phimeanakas (see below) and I have absolutely no idea why I took that photograph. And I still have no idea why I am even posting it here. Anyways, we did a detour, instead of heading straight to the Terrace of the Elephants, we went to another sanctuary first.

The Phimeanakas sanctuary consists of a rectangular temple set on a three-tier pyramid with four axial stairways which are extremely steep. Thankfully, wooden steps have been built to help visitors up the temple and you gotta wait for those going down to finish before climbing up. Yes, it's one way stairways and got me huffing and puffing by the time I got up.

Mag was a good sport and climbed up the steep section to get to the other side. I decided to go over some big blocks instead to get to the other side.

Thanks to Mr Chenla who was patiently waiting at the base for us and helped us take these shots. If you're wondering what the name Phimeanakas means, well, it is derived from the deformation of the Sanskrit terms vimana and akasha which means 'palace of the gods' and 'sky' respectively. According to the Chinese emissary Zhou Daguan, this temple was made of gold ... so probably its dome must have been gilded. But no signs of that now ...

Below shows one of the many guardian lions that can be found at the stairways. And not in the photograph but there were also some remains of elephants on the corners of the terraces.

Another view of one of the axial stairway that faces the Royal Palace.
A short walk was the Royal Palace which started construction in the 10th Century. Mr Chenla was determined to show us Srah Srei or the 'women's bath' which measured 30m by 50m(see below) meant for the women folks (King's many many concubines) and next to the Bath is a tiny pool by comparison that was known as the Srah Pros or 'men's bath' *grins* Life was good then huh!

And as you can see below, the baths are bordered by terrace walls with relief carvings. I can just imagine the women enjoying a soak especially with the heat. I myself felt like jumping in but the colour of the water in the pond made me think twice *grins*

We then moved on to the gopura (see below) that led us into the Preah Palilay area, which meant we were moving out of the Royal Grounds.

It was a pleasant walk with all the greenery around. we came across this awesome three with roots / trunks that branched out forming an arch. I couldn't tell if it's two trees that formed one but one tree with roots that formed the arch. But just thought it was so cool!

Amidst the trees, we could see the Preah Palilay, which was supposedly built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries as the images of Buddha were not mutilated, as occurred in the early 13th century during the revival of Brahmanism.

Mr Chenla took us through the beautifully sculpted lintels and pediments (see photograph below) that narrated episodes from the life of Buddha.

We then moved on to the Terrance of the Leper King. Below is a photograph of a hidden second wall that was accidentally discovered during the excavations made by EFEO. The Terrace of the Leper King was probably meant for funerary purpose with the platform used for the cremation of the royal family.

Up the terrace by the stairs on the northwest corner would be the statue of the so-called Leper King. The figure has been identified with Yama, the god of Death. However, the original statue is kept in the Phnom Penh National Museum.

Based on my guidebook, the supposed representation of leprosy on this mysterious nude figure without sexual organs is really due to lichens. However, according to popular Khmer tradition, Jayavarman VII was a leper, which is the reason why he built so many hospitals.

And just round the corner was the Terrace of the Elephants. It was thought to serve as a 'balcony' for the king's residence. The stairways were protected by three-headed elephants (as seen below). We didn't head but instead after a quick photo, we hoped into our transport to head off to the next destination.

If you're wondering where to next, well ... look out for the next post as we traced the steps of Lara Croft - The Tomb Raider *grins*

Angkor Essentials - Exploring the temples ....

2009-07-12T21:23:00.013+08:00

Day Two - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sunrise Over Angkor Wat

We were up pretty early so that we could witness the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Usually I would be struggling to get up but that morning, no problem at all. Motivated by the thought of seeing the sunrise, we were jumping out of bed that morning *laughs* Very different from my mornings these days!

We had boxed breakfast packed for us and we were off with Mr Chenla, our guide for the next two days. And as expected, there were throngs of other tourists up and about with their breakfast in hand to enjoy while watching the sun rise. And for those who needed piping hot coffee with their breakfast, there were local vendors at hand to serve you coffee with a chair. The rest of us were scattered at different points, each guide insisting that their spot was THE spot to see the sun rise.

The photograph above shows the sun rising behind the Angkor Wat temples. That's why if you want to visit Angkor Wat, better to go in the afternoon so that you won't get the direct sunlight when taking your shots. But going in the afternoon meant bearing with the heat and humidity. I guess I had romantic ideas about how the sun rise would be like and expected to see something like the photograph below (as seen in the zillion guidebooks and postcards that I came across).

But no such luck people. Was rather cloudy day so what we go instead was the sight below, which was still awesome by my standard. The photograph above was tweaked some on my macbook *grins* Mr Chenla was also sharing that at certain times of the year, the sun would rise directly above the middle of the three towers ... now that would be a truly magnificient sight!!

We were advised that the best shot of the temple at sunrise was infront of the pond (see photograph below) because you get the reflection as well. So being good tourists, we followed our guide and took photographs by the pond!

Proof that we were actually there (see photograph below). My apologies that the photograph turned out a little dark as the sun was shining directly into the camera.

It was difficult but we actually had to walk AWAY from Angkor Wat when it's so close by but we had other plans for the morning. But as we walked away, we had a glimpse of what we would be seeing that afternoon. Although Suryavarman II built Angkor Wat in 1113 to 1150 in dedication to Vishnu, it was later transformed from a Vishnuite sanctuary into a Buddhist wat or monastry by Jayavarman VIII in the 13th Century,thus explaining the many statues we saw (see photograph below).
Although the temple is no longer a 'living' temple, there were still local Khmers who frequented Angkor Wat to pay respect (see photograph below of one of the spot still visited by the locals).

Below is a photograph of the moat that surrounds Angkor Wat taken on the western causeway that led into Angkor Wat.

The causeway is about 250 metres long and 12 metres wide, built from sandstone. There were also 'guardians' (as seen below) that in the past used to protect and keep a look out for the enemies.

Temple Visits started at Angkor Thom

After we bid a temporary farewell to Angkor Wat, we headed to our next destination - Angkor Thom or 'The Great Capital'. We entered through the South Gate (see photograph below) which was the most preserved of the four gates so as expected, there were many others with us.

I was rather eager to have a close inspection of the south gate but dear Mr Chenla insisted that we listened to him before we went off on our good. As a teacher, that's a good strategy that I used too when I used to teach ... give all the instructions you want before you set your kids free because there's no way that anyone is going to listen when they are excited about exploring. So it was a real test of my patience. But we managed to listen to him patiently as he shared his knowledge about Angkor Thom complex with us. And I am glad we bought a guide book because I can't remember the bulk of what was shared though I swear I was very attentive. So my advise is - get a copy of the guidebook on your first day. A copy of the Lonely Planet can be bought for USD2 (hint: bargain bargain bargain). We got a copy of the National Geographic's Treasures of Angkor for USD5 (hint: aim for less than this. We were in a hurry so caved in and just paid without very much bargaining). If you're wondering why the books are so cheap ... think hard. For the former version, the print is not that great and if you love wordy guidebooks, go for it. I am thrilled with my NG version because lots of colour photographs (help me remember places I visited) and useful information about the places visited.

The photograph below belongs to one of the Gods found infront of the South Gate. But do expect some of their heads missing and also if you look closely, you will notice some recent additions to fix the statues.

Flanked on both sides you have two rows of 'giants'. Photograph below shows the 54 asuras or demons on the right side of the road.

And on the left, there were 54 devas or deities (see photograph below). The figures are pretty awesome and can be seen holding on to nagas or multi-headed serpents.

Here's a photograph of the four faces of bodhisattva Lokeshvara. At the sides of the gate, there's Airavata, the three-headed elephant (see below of me posing with one of the elephants).

Mr Chenla brought us up where we came real close to the four faces and thanks to Mag's camera on tripod, we managed to get the shot below.

At the base were these three-headed elephants and the one below was in the best condition (others were missing trunks or head or something). Now, if you're going to visit temples and ruins, be brightly dressed. If you're in black like me, you will most likely blend in with the background and you can play 'Guess Where Is Liz' in the photo. If you compare the photograph with my clever friend dressed in red, the contrast is awesome *grins*.

The Many Faces of Bayon

Just a few minutes car ride away, we reached the famous Bayon (see photograph below) and were greeted by the many faces there. Was pretty cool. Have to say that Bayon and Angkor Wat are my two favourite places that we visited over the weekend.

And once again, we patiently listened to Mr Chenla who shared with us the history of Bayon before we could go off to take shots of anything and everything. Now let me share some information from my fantastic guide book. Bayon has been long considered to be a Hindu sanctuary, only in 1925 was it recognised as Buddhist.

When we entered the temple, we turned to the left and went through the south wing of the east gallery. Here we saw ranks of troops (see photograph below) that marched among the scenes of everyday life.

If you take a closer look below, those are Chinese soldiers marching along side and you recognise them from the goatee that they have. These carvings are amazing because they are still so clear and you can make out the 'stories' that the carvers were trying to tell.

More scenes of men going to battle and below you can see that the wheel from the cart probably broke and the men were fixing it.

As we admired the carvings along the gallery, we also saw on the columns these graceful apsaras (see below) dancing on the lotuses.

In between the battle scenes, we found scenes that depicted the bustling daily life and some still in existence in the rural areas of the Khmer region today. And although Mr Chenla was telling us the various 'stories' to go with the carvings, go ahead and let your imagination go wild and create your own stories.

The photograph above shows husband and wife under the house. Wife watching on with worried look on her face, worried because her husband is taking drugs and she's worried that he might not be able to go to work afters. Now, what's your version of the story? As to the carvings below, in the centre, there's a woman giving birth with a mid-wife so this is your probably a 'hospital' that specialises in childbirth.

Below is a scene at the market place where the men were drinking brandy and watching cock fights. It's amazing how vivid the carvings are huh?

Now this one is rather interesting (see below). It's at a market place and to the right, you can see some women buying some groceries from the seller. And to the left, one man tapping on another who is standing over the seller. The man is whispering to the other to not be fooled by the seller who is a cheat, and only the women would fall for such tricks.

Feast time below as you see pigs being cooked in large cauldrons and on skewers over the fire. Look like a pretty grand cookout session taking place huh? Local BBQ, my kind of party *grins*

According to Mr Chenla, the carving below shows of men doing hard manual labour. And I am pretty sure the guy to the right is putting koyok on the guy's back *laughs* Don't you think so too?

Bayon was pretty crowded with people and somehow we noticed that certain groups of people tend to be SO LOUD even though there's just a small group of them. Totally oblivious to the people around them .... I reckon it's more like they just don't care? *sighs* So to get total peace and quiet (see photograph below) was a real treat. I just cannot imagine how it's like during the peak season!

The faces of Bayon are truly amazing. If you stare hard enough without blinking, am sure you can see them faces winking, smiling or blinking *grins* They look so darn real!

Am thinking I should get one of those I HEART BAYON shirt with one (see below) of these faces on it. What do you think? *grins*

To give you an idea of how big or how high them statues are, I am about 1.7m so just do the Math, if possible, go ahead and figure out how huge those faces are! Did I mention before that I LOVE BAYON? *grins*

Another frontal shot of the face of Lokeshvara. Although Lokeshvara is a bodhisattva, it is the symbolism of the Buddharaja or Buddha-king, that is evoked in Bayon.

Yes, yes, gotta warn you, you'll see alot of me from this trip! Was actually on tippy-toe while posing for the photograph below!

We saw these guardian lions (see below) around the Bayon temples as well as other temples that we visited.

Last look of the Bayon temples before we headed to another temple. It was interesting to see how many faces were carved out from the blocks of rocks that were arranged one above the other. I read that the faces would have lasted longer if they had arranged the rocks in a staggered manner rather than one directly on top of the other as it left gaps in many of the faces. But on the whole, I enjoyed the visit there and going in the morning when it's not so hot and I was still fresh ... was a great experience and I would definitely want to go back again!

Look out for the next post for where we went next. Stay tuned ....

Angkor Essentials - The Journey Starts ....

2009-07-10T23:11:00.006+08:00

It was a good weekend away from home and let me warn you that there will be lots of photos for the next few posts from my trip. Usually for long weekends, I would either be vegging out at home or head off to Kuala Lumpur for a vegging out session *laughs*. But for last weekend it was quite a 'workout' trip because I was in Cambodia, more specifically Siem Reap, with Mag to explore .... *drum roll* Angkor Wat and the many temples in the area.

Day I: Singapore - Siem Reap
We got there in the afternoon on 4 July and was impressed by the small but modern airport in Siem Reap (Above: Me at the Siem Reap Airport runaway). After we checked-in, we met up with our tour coordinator, Mr Sok Chea. We managed to arrange for a guide and agree on the itinerary before we left Singapore as we didn't want to waste time finding a guide once in Siem Reap, and then having to negotiate places and price. So for USD125, it included everything from English-speaking guide, airport transfers, air-conditioned transportation, meals, temple passes, traditional Apsara cultural show and dinner and drinks on board. But what we paid didn't include Airport Tax for when we were flying home (USD25 per pax) and Angkor Balloon Ride (USD15).

We had some time before dinner so we went to the Night Market. Now, there's a reason why it's called a Night Market. Yes, most of the stalls only open after the sun sets, so if you go as early as we did, you would only find a handful of stalls open so don't bother buying too many things just then. Also, bear in mind that the Night Market exists basically for us tourists so be prepared to bargain bargain bargain. Will suggest to you later in another post where you can go for better deals instead of the Night Market. We managed to grab a couple of t-hirts (they weren't great quality but had some nice designs for USD6 each) and headed off for the Traditional Apsara Cultural Show and Dinner (see photograph below).

Also known as the Khmer classical dance, this dance form shares some similarities to the classical dance form in Thailand. More information about the Apsara Dance can be found on wiki.

My apologies for the 'blurness' of the two photographs above but the place was pretty dark and with a compact camera, these were the 'better' shots I could get. Dinner was buffet style and it was basically mixed of Asian and Western meals. If you want traditional Khmer food, this won't be the best place as they basically cater to the taste buds of the tourists. Didn't really enjoy the food there (except for the noodles) but the dance was entertaining enough *grins*.

After dinner, we made our way back to the Night Market and stumbled upon Pub Street. I read about this street before the trip so was glad we passed it. It's basically the place to be for tourists and you can get all sorts of restaurants and cheap beer (see the sign below - 50 cents for a glass of beer) there. Pub Street was closed up so it was safe for tourists to walk on the street while deciding which eatery to patronise.

There are two sections at the Night Market. One is slightly newer than the other but both packed with stalls pretty much selling the same stuff. And because prices are in USD, I found it rather pricey (exchange rate was USD1 = S$1.50). You can ask them in Riel (Khmer currency) but it's just too confusing to figure out so I stuck to USD. Also, be prepared that you will get change back in Riel so try and round up/down for items you're buying.

What stuff can you expect to find at the Night Market? There's the usual t-shirts, colourful Khmer cotton/silk scarves (see photograph below), traditional puppets (see photograph above), silk purses, silver jewellery and many more souveniors for family and friends back home. I got a couple of traditional Khmer scarves (checked design), silk purses, t-shirts and some silver charms of Angkor Wat and an Apsara for my charm bracelet *grins* Nice!

After walking off dinner at the Night Market, we headed back to the hotel and slept early as we had a super early start the next day ....

Darn, another gouty toe that's driving me crazy!

2009-06-28T22:32:00.003+08:00

This weekend was suppose to be a walk around the Singapore Botanic Gardens but I got as far as the Visitor Centre and breakfast at Lazy Gourmet. That's it. It was good weather too so was a shame that I couldn't do the walk. Why? Thanks to another bout of gout attack (Mag, you're right girl. I was hoping the pain was due to them insoles. Darn it). And this time round, I have NO IDEA why my big toe swelled up two days ago and the pain intensified yesterday, that I threw the towel in and went to see my GP.

Checked my blog and the last attack that I posted was in February this year. I think I might have had another attack between February and now but I had some left over meds and realised it before it had time to swell to the max so it wasn't too bad. But this round, I was caught off guard cuz I have been relatively good in what I have been consuming. Hmm, anyways, Doc wants to do a blood test to see if I need to go on meds (most likely Allopurinol). But am not too keen on this because of the side effects such as Allopurinol, however, has some serious side effects, such as skin eruptions, liver toxicity, inflammation of the blood vessels, and possible weakening of kidney function by forcing the kidneys to work too hard to excrete the uric acid. Doc has been avoiding putting me on this for some time now but guess may have too if the gout attacks become to regular. When I asked Doc what happened this time round, she reckons this round could be because I have not been drinking alot of water ... hmmm, possible.

Yes Az, I should have taken the Celery Seed extract religiously. I will do so starting tomorrow!!! And yes, I am also going to take cherries which came highly recommended by Slawek who read it in a book that it helps with gout.

Thing about cherries. From this website, it says that though it may not work for all, for some gout sufferers, cherries work because of the flavonoids found in cherries (as well as some other berries such as blueberries, strawberries and hawthorn berries). Flavonoids help to reduce the uric acid levels in the bloodstream. Gout occurs when excessive uric acid in the blood crystallizes and then deposit in the joints and tissues of the body. Flavonoids also help to prevent the inflammation that results from gout. So cherries or cherry juice may help. Hmm, also found on another site that I would need to eat about eight ounces of the fruit, canned or fresh *grins* hmmm ....

Based on this website, celery seed is used primarily as a diuretic (increasing urine output to help the body get rid of excess water). Celery seed is also suggested for treating arthritis and gout, and to help reduce muscle spasms, calm the nerves, and reduce inflammation. These seeds are quite effective in relieving gout by eliminating uric acid from the body. Note: This remedy is not to be used by pregnant women because of its diuretic effect and the fact that it can encourage uterine contractions, or those with kidney disease because of its potential diuretic effect and that the plant's oils can worsen kidney inflammation.

Okay, last bit is interesting. I have been getting once or twice at night to pee daily (and its so frustrating because it breaks my sleep). I have also been checking my blood level for glucose (use the same home kit that my diabetic parents use to monitor their glucose level) and so far it's normal. But two people - one is the TCM doctor who gave a free consultation in Shanghai told me I have weak kidneys and another is this guy who has a machine that you stand on for several minutes to scan your insides told me that my kidneys are working too hard ... one common word that keeps cropping up ... kidneys .... so I have been a little worried and am trying to do something about it. Starting with them walks each weekend but will need to do alot more than that *grins*

Anyways, for now, am focussed on my GOUT issue. Am armed with packets of cherries (will start with 6-8 cherries daily) and my celery seed extract, am going to take them both religiously for the next two weeks before the blood test and let's see if it works to help reduce the amount of uric acid in me. Fingers and toes crossed everyone!!

12 Monitor Lizards and 6 Squirrels later ...

2009-06-21T21:55:00.022+08:00

Just have to warn you that there's going to be an overdose of photographs from the Sungei Buloh walk which we did on Sunday, 21 June 2009. Yup, am on a roll for these walks until this 'nature trail' phase that I am going through ends, will see how many places I can complete :o)

We got there just a lil after seven and there was one other person (photographer with proper camera, tripod and huge knapsack probably with different lenses) with us. Because we were early, we got the Early Bird Special. Admission fee for an adult is S$1.00 and $0.50 for child/students/senior citizens. And don't forget to grab a brochure for your walk....

We were also fortunate that the tide was low so we saw alot more things due to that. And the weather was also good - not too hot so the walk was really pleasant. It was also relatively flat so no huffing and puffing thankfully. We decided to do Route 3 which covered the whole of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and on the map, it showed that it would take about 4 - 5 hours.

We did a count and we came across 12 monitor lizards (all shapes and sizes) and 6 bouncing squirrels. One even bounced on a branch that was so close to my head and I didn't realise it till Slawek pointed it out. Pretty cool. I think one reason why we saw so many monitor lizards and squirrels - we were early and it wasn't too hot yet. And there were hardly any people around except us. So guess them lizards and squirrels felt it was safe enough to take their morning Sunday walks. The fella below was really huge and I felt like I was at some dino park or something. Awesome!

We also saw (if you look real close to the right of the photo) kelongs (houses on water) off Singapore and I guess these are getting very rare these days. Probably will see these in photographs or videos in the Singapore museum in several years? Sad, huh?

Sungei Buloh being a wetland reserve, it's not surprising that there are heaps of mangroves around the swampy area. And these brought back fond memories of the days when I used to teach my charges about mangroves and their adaptations to their environment. Very cool.

Along the route, there were many tracks/boardwalks that will take you out to different observation points. We weren't in a hurry so we did a lot of mini detours and took our time to soak in the surrounding ...

Thankfully, the tide was low so much of the wetland areas were exposed. It seems that there's a family of sea otters seen at the reserve and I kept my eyes open but didn't get to see them. Maybe better luck next time? *grins*

The photograph below was taken at one of the observation huts. Lots of these around and good if you need to take a break. Didn't see many bird watchers ... probably not the right season as we didn't see too many birds around either.

I have a thing for flowers and I just love taking photographs of them. These were seen scattered on the trail and this one looked perfect and I just had to take a photograph of it.

If you're wondering what are those sticks sticking out from the muddy ground ... those are actually roots from the mangrove trees. One of the three types that you can find at the wetlands. These roots grow upwards above the muddy ground so that they able to take in oxygen that they need. And if you look closely, can you see a mud skipper in there?

Along the route, there was an observation tower - Arie Tower, definitely worth the climb up to see the view from above like the one below.

Another view from the top of Arie Tower. Plus the tower is another good spot to take a break and have breakfast or snack. How often can you have a meal with such a view? :o)

We also learnt of a new creature called Watch It *laughs* I was hoping to see a croc during the walk but we only saw them monitor lizards. Darn!

More photographs from our walk for your viewing pleasure ...

You should also remember to use your insect repellant because there will be areas where you find more buzzing mozzies than others. The photograph below shows an area where the water flows in and what would have been great would be a sampan ride here ...

Another little winding trail that we walked through ...

Am not sure if these are jackfruits or chempedak ... any idea anyone?

The photograph below was taken at an observation hut where we stopped for a light snack (lil bag of chippies) and we saw one lone bird flying towards the trees. I wished I had a pair of binos and camera with great len because it would have been a nice shot.

What I had to do instead was use my compact camera and zoom the camera to death to get the fuzzy shot below. Can you make out the bird up on the tree? This photograph is a zoomed version of the one above :o)

I guess it's different when you go on a walk that's leisurely and not have to chase after 40 kids who are screaming and running about *grins* Saw things that I have never seen before like jumping fish below. Have a few theories so anyone with the right answer please share. Am thinking that the fish were having breakfast and jumping to catch little insects that could be buzzing above the water? But kind stoopid for the insects to stay around after seeing their friends get snapped by the flying fish. Any other ideas? My Dad reckons that the fish got bored and taking a break from being wet *laughs* Can you spot the jumping fish?

Another first time for me. One side we saw the jumping fish. As I was walking away, spot these wild dogs crossing the wetlands to get to the other side. They were walking in a row and I guess because the tide is low, they could do this. And again, camera wasn't powerful enough for me to zoom so excuse the poor quality shot.

Feeling happy with what we saw so far, we continued to walk ...

We went to the Mangrove Arboretum which was a section of boardwalk through the mangrove swamps. With the tide below low, we saw mud skippers, different kind of crabs (below is the tree climbing crab), shells and heaps of other creatures. Nice.

You can see heaps of mangroves here ... great area to teach about them mangroves and I can guarantee that they will remember the facts better than just studying from the textbooks.

Here's a shot of the Mangrove Arboretum ...

Why I took this shot - I like how the lianas and creepers hang down like a curtain in the forest. Reminded me of something from The Swamp Thing *laughs*

If the leaves below look familiar, it's because they are sea hollies. Reminded me of them Christmas hollies :o)

Again had to zoom using my compact and pleased by how this turned out. You get an up close and personal shot of a .... mud skipper.

Cannot remember if the fellow below is Monitor Lizard number 10 or 11 actually. Number 12 we saw at the Sungei Buloh Visitors' Centre and fella wasn't bothered that there were heaps of people around taking photos of it (I had monitor lizard fatigue by then so didn't take a shot of that).

To the right of the photograph is the Arie Tower that I mentioned before. This is a shot at the opposide side of the tower and we could see people jumping about inside the observation area of the tower. And I have no idea why they were jumping about ...

While walking along the water, we came across this monitor lizard that was swimming leisurely. He was eyeing us while we walked along with him as he swam. Guess he knew that he was safe as long as he remained in the water.

We finally reach the end of the walk (also the start point) at about 10.30am. It's quite funny that there's this sign that greets everyone who enters the trail and it has to be the most ignored sign ever. Why? Let me explain. I am glad to see that parents are taking their kids to these nature reserves. The next step would be to teach their kids how to behave.

There is a reason why one doesn't scream and shout at the reserves. It was shame but we came across three families with kids and the parents were poor role models, who shouted 'Clab, clab, come look at the clab' to their kids and then kids ran to parents while shouting 'Where, where, where got clab'. The kids saw butterflies fluttering and he screamed, 'See, got bitterfly, see the bitterfly' *sighs* I tried to shush one kid but he didn't understand me when I told him to keep quiet or he'll scare the animals away. This is a personal appeal - parents please educate your kids, there is a difference between a nature reserve and a playground. They may appear the same to you but please be considerate that there are others who go to the nature parks for peace and quiet, and do not appreciate you and your kids screaming at each other. Please! I know there are parents who teach their kids the right behaviour at the nature parks and from the bottom of my heart ... a big thank you *hugs*.

We continued to the Mangrove Boardwalk and spent another 30 minutes there. And you can skip this part if you've had an overdose of mangroves *grins*. Roots below (one of the three types) are the knobbly ones. These are all adaptations to help the mangroves survive the muddy ground and coastal areas where they can be found.

The roots below are prop roots. Because of the waves that hit the trees and the muddy ground, the roots prop the trees up so that they won't get damaged so easily by the waves as well as trees are above the muddy ground.

The third one are them pencil-like roots that grow upwards from the muddy waters. Had similar photographs before so you're familiar with these ones ...

This is an awesome tree, a close up of them prop roots. Pretty cool huh *laughs*

These are the flowers from the mangroves. The leaves also have special features. Maybe not so obvious here but they have drip tips at the ends so that when it rains heavily, the water will flow off the leaves without damaging them. Also, some have shiny waxy leaves that serves the same purpose, to help rain water flow off the leaves quickly. Because the mangroves grow along the coast, they take in salt water and they get rid of excess salt by storing them in the leaves. For some, you can scratch the leaves and have a taste - you can taste the salt. When the leaves dry and fall off, the trees have gotten rid of the excess salt. Clever huh.

Fruits of the mangroves (see below) are spear-shaped. Any idea why? When the fruits drop off the trees, they will poke itself into the soft muddy ground where it will then grow into new trees.

The boardwalk out to the visitor centre marks the end of our Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve walk. We finished the whole walk (including the mangrove boardwalk) by 11.00am. About 4 hours as mentioned in the brochure with lots of stops along the way. If you get a chance, I strongly suggest that you go on this walk and see how many monitor lizards you come across. Let me know ya *grins*

Nature Walk with a twist ...

2009-06-15T21:30:00.002+08:00

I was googling for the next walk and came across this rather interesting walk and Singapore is probably the last place I thought I would find something like this. Yes, we're still a prudish lot here and I am not sure if something like this would be socially acceptable. Wondering what I came across? *grins* The Nudist Nature Walk in Singapore. It's simply a group of people who enjoy being naked while enjoying nature around them.

Would I take part in such a walk? Although I can understand how some may enjoy this, I (like many other locals I am sure) personally would find it very uncomfortable for personal reasons. The website was last updated in May 2006 so I am curious to see if they are still around and walking nudie ....

Southern Ridges Walk ....

2009-06-14T18:35:00.026+08:00

Did another walk this weekend and for several reasons. Firstly, to make myself feel better about overeating earlier this week and also in preparation for some meet up with friends next week. Secondly, was curious about the Southern Ridges Walk cuz heard friends talking about how the walks can be pretty cool. The Southern Ridges comprise a 9-kilometre chain of green, open spaces spanning the rolling hills of Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park before ending at West Coast Park. But take note that 9-kilometre here refers to the map distance without taking into consideration the elevation. I am a little irked that I didn't do the Southern Ridges 100% but left out the West Coast Park (which will take you through Clementi Woods and NUS) but I will live with that *laughs*.

As you do the walk, you will also come across two connections - Alexandra Arch and Henderson Waves. And you'll love the great views you will get with this walk (assuming the weather is good). Two places to start your research if you're interested to find out more about these walks. First would be the people who are responsible for these walks - National Parks and you can head to the NPark website for more information. It's always good to read up and be prepared for what you will see. The other website is the Singapore Tourism Board 'Uniquely Singapore' website. As I was planning for this walk, I reached a point where I knew what were the walks available but I was a little apprehensive because I am pretty sure the walks won't be as simple as described on the two websites. So I was thankful just a few days ago, I came across Dead Poet's Cave Visual Guide to the Southern Ridges. Had instructions/information of things to look out for which I took down and brought along with me together with an A3 size colour print out of the map (you can download this from the STB website) and those instructions/information came in real handy so a must read before you go for the walk! Thanks heaps!

We started out early and decided to start from Kent Ridge Park and walk towards Harbour Front which makes perfect sense for several reasons. More downhill than uphill stretches was my KEY consideration. And the other reason is ending at Vivocity, gives one opportunity to treat oneself to the many yummy food available there. So pretty easy decision to make. Because it's not a loop walk, driving was out of the question. We started at Kent Ridge Park (get to Carpark B which is closest to the Canopy Walk). There are directional signs around so look out for that. We were there about 5 minutes before 7am (was aiming earlier but got up a lil late and had to fix breakfast so got there a lil later). It's good to start early cuz it can get pretty hot after a while.

And there is no way you can miss this tank that will greet you when you get to Car Park B. If you take a bus, you will have to stop along South Buona Vista Road and it's quite a long walk up.

Take time to enjoy the view from that height. It was pretty early so it wasn't as clear but the sight was still awesome for us. Very different perspective of Singapore from up there.

These are the signs that you want to check as you go on your path. They can be found along most of the route that you will take. At certain points, the paths may split and you have options (usually one is longer than the other but may offer better view) but it will ultimately join back to one path.

The photograph below shows a short path that you will take that will lead you to the Canopy Walk. Very pleasant walk as its shaded and enjoy the sounds of nature around you ...

And lots of these directions on the path (they really tried to make it as easy as possible) so just look out for them ya.

Here I am at the start of the Canopy Walk (proof that I actually went for the walk! *laughs). It's wooden boardwalk throughout. Don't forget to spray on insect repellant before you start. Lots of mozzies around and I think I was breakfast for a couple of them. There are also signs along the walk to point out to interesting trees if you're interested.

We saw the sun rising and it was awesome. Zoomed in and captured the shot below. Hardly get to see the sun rise so that was a nice treat!

Another picture of the canopy walk. It took us easily about 20 minutes to complete the walk and it really depends on your pace. We weren't in a hurry and had many photo stops so naturally we took longer.

When we reached the end of the Canopy Walk, that was when it got tricky. To the left was a road (which I later learnt was Pepys Road) and to the right, you see the residential homes The Peak as seen below. No clear direction signage here so we took the road downhill and walked for about 15 minutes. I was thinking to myself that that stretch was too good to be true because it was downhill all the way. Until we reached the end of Pepys Road and hit the main road - Pasir Panjang Road. Then we realised that we took the wrong turn, and yes, had to turn back UPHILL!! It was too soon to give up so we traced back our steps to where the canopy walk ended. Take note this is what you need to do. You need to turn left towards The Peaks.

Look for a board with the map of the Southern Ridges. Look for steps that will take you downslope (see photo below) and THAT is the path you want to take. That was the path we took and it took us to the Hort Park.

The photograph below shows the Canopy Walk from below. Pretty awesome how high the walk was.

And this is winding path that you need to take that will lead you to the heart of Hort Park, an area devoted to the horticultural industry in Singapore.

At the Hort Park, that stretch of the walk is aptly name the Flora Walk because we had opportunities to see flowers in bloom. I suppose it depends on which part of the year you're walking, you'll get to see different things.

Here is one example of a pretty flower that I saw. Tried to blow the insects off the flower before taking a shot but guess they couldn't be bothered to wait until I finished my shot before returning to the flower *grins*

We also saw lots of birds having something sweet for their breakfast. Yummy!

In land scarce Singapore, the Hort Park is a great place to bring the kids and let them run without worry about traffic. And surrounded with all the greenery, and sections of the park dedicated to kids, great way to tire them out too! So if you have not brought your kids there, go ahead and plan a Sunday to do so. There is also the Hort Park Centre where you get a whole view of the park - lovely place for breakfast. But just be prepared that lots of other people will have the same idea and you got to be lucky enough to get a seat...

It's a shame that all roads in Singapore aren't as creative and fun as the Alexandra Arch. For somebody who hates going up them overhead bridges, I sure didn't mind going up this one. This is one of the two connectors that you will come across during the walk. And just note that after Hort Park, you will find more people along the way .... which ended up to be rather frustrating and I will tell you why soon enough *grins*.

From the Alexandra Arch, it led us to the Forest Walk, which is a step-free ramp that takes you through the forest from the canopy level. What was frustrating here is that you will have throngs of people going for this and they have no respect whatsoever that they are amidst nature and they are people who are there to get away from the noise that prevails in most part of Singapore. Because it's naturally quiet, there will be those who take it as permission to speak even louder without realising how the noise gets carried and you can pretty much follow the threads of conversation taking place. Then there is another group of young adults/older teens who are there with their handphones with the music blasting out loud *sighs* Why come for this when you should be at some fast food joint with your loud music and loud chatting. Very very frustrating!!!

And I realised that it was futile trying to give them irritated looks cuz my looks were just lost on them *shakes head* So decided instead to take deep breaths in and made a note to self to share this story when am back to work to my young charges! Hopefully there are still some from our younger generation that can be saved *laughs*. And I guess when their parents behave in such inconsiderate manner, the kids follow suit.

When you look down, you can see the Earth Trail (see photograph below) that you can go on - just look out for exist stairs that will take you to these trails. We pretty much stayed on the ramp throughout the Forest Walk.

Thanks to the signs scattered throughout the walk, you'll learn more about the trees in the area. Too bad the bananas on the tree wasn't ripe but I can just imagine how sweet they will be when grown in the 'wild' like this! Also this area seems to be the playground for squirrels. Saw one happily feasting on rambutans on a tree - very cool!

Last shot of the Forest Walk and you can see how the ramps wind quite a bit. Whole idea is to walk leisurely and not rush through it ...

After we reached the end of the Forest Walk, we came out to Car Park 3. Lots of sheltered area for rest stops. Here is where the path separates and you can choose which path to take. We turned to the right and detoured up (small uphill path on the left) the Garden Terrace for another awesome view from the top. We walked down and continued downhill. There was a group of people making a lot of noise and one guy screaming 'Squirrel! Squirrel!' as he pointed to several squirrels on the tree for his groupie to look at. It probably didn't occur to him that he was not helping, instead scaring the lil fellas away with all the noise. And they were all surprised when the squirrels hopped away *sighs*

As part of the Hilltop Walk, we took the path above that took us through a short walk through the forest and when we got to the top, it led to another connector, the Henderson Waves which was built across the main roads. We actually stopped for a breakfast break there before walking on the waves ....

It's pretty cool how the waves look like and they serve as shelters for people. It's high enough that you are not affected by any fumes from the cars below and the concave 'waves' serve as shelters. Lots of people just sitting around, having breakfast picnics. Saw another elderly couple snoozing some. Looks like a place for people to just hang out.

As you walk, look down too cuz the height is indicated on the boards. At midpoint of the waves, it was about 65.74m above sea level but that is not the heightest point.

I was pretty glad we were at the Henderson Waves because it meant that we were half way done for the Southern Ridges walk. Yay!!

After the Henderson Waves, it's on to the Faber Walk which is an uphill stretch but if you pace yourself slowly and stop occasionally to enjoy the view, it wasn't too bad. I wasn't huffing and puffing like I was last weekend going up Bukit Peirce to reach the HSBC Tree Top Walk *grins*.

I started smiling when I hit the Jewel Box cuz I knew things were going downhill hence forth *laughs* It was a nice spot to enjoy the breeze as you watch the cable cars go by. And also, perfect timing for .... a toilet break! Go ahead and use the toilets. The staff will thank you afters (I am NOT kidding, I asked for directions to the ladies and when I came back down afters, she happily said 'Thank you Mam!'. I was like err, okay...

Walk down and after you pass the lookout point, you will get to the Marang Trail. More smiles as it's steps doing down. Saw some people huffing and puffing up the stairs and again, I was glad we were headed towards Vivocity instead of going the other direction for the Southern Ridges Walk.

The Marang Trail is a nature trail that consists of part wooden steps and some sections of the steps had gravels and pebbles. That was when I felt my ankles hurting cuz I didn't have very good support from my shoes. But the trail wasn't too long so it was bearable and my feet didn't hurt as they did last weekend.

Oh yes, at the start of the trail, there is this sign (see photograph below). I am not sure how to lookout for falling branches but I took note to Take Care yes...

Take time to enjoy the greenery of this trail and you'll see some lovely old colonial bungalows too along the way.

Here's the last look of the Marang Trail (photograph below) before we headed to Vivocity Kopitiam for some cold drinks and chilled fruits! Definitely nice treat after the walk. And yes, I remembered to do a proper stretch afters to prevent the pain that I felt last weekend. So far, it seemed to help some.

If you're wondering how long we took ... we finished the Southern Ridges in 3 hours plus an additional 30 minutes of the detour when we took the wrong turn. So not too bad ya. Done by 10.30am. Enough time to go shopping or catch a movie at Vivocity afters (just clean up at the loo there - bring along a clean t-shirt to change so that you'll be more comfy). Day just started and who would have guessed that you did a whole 3 hour walk in the morning *grins*

Another walk down, and I am going to start researching for the next walk to do. If you have any suggestions, am open to new walks around the island. For another considering this walk, go for it. I am not fit at all and actually found this walk pretty enjoyable (and manageable). Just got to have an early start, bring along lots of water, proper shoes, snacks, cap and brollie/poncho (in case of wet weather). Good luck! :o)