My Hearing Eyes

Happy New Year...!

2007-01-01T21:46:00.000+08:00

Really sorry for the lack of updates...been unable to log into blogspot! The internet was reduced to a crawl last week due to earthquake in Taiwan that damaged undersea communication cables that link to USA where blogspot server is located! A great part of Asian countries could not surf any sites that are located in North America. However, European and Asian sites were unaffected!

Will updates very soon!

Good tidings of great joy to you ALL folks...

2006-12-24T14:26:00.000+08:00

I am in good mood today! If not, I wouldn't post at this moment right!

I went out to test my new toy this morning to replace my irreplaceable and sentimental favourite! Sentimental because it went to Germany to 'see' the late Pope John Paul II, flew backpacking to Thailand, and numerous other places i couldn't possible mention them here.

I shot quite a lot of crappy pictures because they are test shots with settings set to automatic. Since I am in great Christmas spirit, herewith i post a few selected crappy pictures...

Probably, we don't have reindeers here...so a horse will do...*smile*

Merry Christmas folks....

You Rudolph, me (fill in the blank)...

A clown with Star Sprangled Banner-themed cap...

Ho...Ho...Ho...Ho...Ho...Ho...Ho.......

Have fun folks!

Drink and don't drive, drive and don't drink...hehe

Last Day in Thailand (28th July, 2006)

2006-12-15T16:25:00.000+08:00

There was not much thing to do on our last day in Bangkok. Since our flight to Kota Kinabalu was rescheduled with a 2-hour delay late in the afternoon, Andy went for some last minute shopping for souvenirs to take home. The rest of us just keep ourself busy in our room to pack our belongings.

This was our hotel ... urghh... accomodation!

It was located just beside National Stadium Skytrain Station so movement around Bangkok was easy as we could just hop into the train to go to places that are serviced by the trains.

Our breakfast that morning...with a difference! Fried macaroni laced in secret Thai ingredients. I did not know macaroni can be fried too, huh?

On the way to Don Muang Airport

This turned out to be our last flight from Don Muang Airport as Thailand's sparkling new USD3.7B Suvarnahumbi Airport has replaced Don Muang at the end of September 2006.

Burger King's Double Whopper with triple beef patties ...whoaaa... In Kota Kinabalu, we have to make do with a whopper burger with double beef patties! Pricey at B249!

THREE beef patties served with Thai style chili sauce!

Passport inspection at the immigration counter.

Home-bound and tired....

Thailand is a place closer to our home and yet there were so many things we didn't know about Thailand culturally. It was a fun-filled holidays full of moment of enrichment that opened our eyes and mind: one has to really experience it to understand as opposed to reading about it in books or magazines.

We are now bit by the traveller's bug. As 2006 draws to a close, expect us to go further and more extreme in 2007. Tramping for one month in New Zealand is on the agenda subject of course to how much we will be able to save.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year folks.

Thailand Day 10 - To Each His Own (27th July 2006)

2006-12-13T07:30:00.000+08:00

Having covered all that I wanted to see and but not all Bangkok has to offer, today would see a different programme for every one of us. Andy and Neal planned to explore Wonder World. Jeremy has his own program. I was on my own. I did not have the inclination to join Andy and Neal, having screamed myself to the extreme riding the world famous Cyclone rollercoaster at Coney Island, New York City, some mild one at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Hershey Amusement Park. Yeah, the kiddo feelings in me seemed to be missing this time. I hope it won’t be permanent!

I would spend my morning sitting for a few hours reading Bangkok Post at Dunkin’ Donuts while enjoying the nonstop free flow of coffee and munching their trademark delicious donuts. It’s been that long since I last tasted Dunkin’ donuts as Dunkin’ Donuts does not have an outlet in Kota Kinabalu! Sitting there, it was like Thai Culture 101 class as I observed people going about their daily life: motorcyclist taxis waiting for and dropping passengers at random spots, tuk-tuk drivers touting for tourists as they walked past, uniformed students queuing to board bus, cigarette vendor selling cigarette by sticks, traffics moving at a snail’s pace ... it was amazing…Thais sure know how to live… everyday is a paradise!

This was the very reason I didn’t use my plastic money! Everything I paid for in cash!

Monk blessing this newly opened shop for prosperity.

Bangkok also got Penang Shark Fins? Penang is one of the state in Malaysia. Shark fin soup is a must have in any Chinese Restaurant menu item. While competition is stiff for such delicacy and good for business, it unnecessarily drives up demands which are a bane to the shark population.

Shark fins galore! Even small sharks were sacrificed for their fins!

Greenpeace might not be happy seeing these.

And of course, some grandma shark might be furious…

Angry grandma....

MBK aka Mahboonkrong is just diagonally across the street from Siam Center. Long lines of small inexpensive stalls and shops sell cheap T-shirts, wallets, handbags, mobile phone accessories, handicrafts, etc. In fact MBK is populated with mobile phone shop and it was little wonder that teenagers like to come here presumably to eye the latest handphone models.

I saw this shop ‘XL FOR MEN’ that will welcome the like of my office colleague whose hapless sizes are hard to come by in Kota Kinabalu. He has to make do with custom tailored ones with brand like “Tailor Made by Ah Seng” stitched in!

I was practically salivating in this shop for about 1 hour seeing all those white knights and red-banded L-lens. This was my first time seeing the complete range of Canon lens in real time!

So close yet so far! Acrophobia Jeremy did not make it! Me like a kid up there!

Come across this outdoor shop in Siam Discovery Center, connected to Siam Center by an enclosed pedestrian bridge. We tried the 3-meter ‘wall climbing’ inside the shop to gauge our stamina after days of gluttoning on Thai food. This shop offers rock climbing packages in Bangkok.

As night approached, it was too early for us to have dinner or to go back to hotel. So we did the unthinkable – going to ‘Phuket without the beach’! Welcome to Bangkok’s famous red light district that is Patpong. Let’s face it… we male homo-sapiens were guilty of being voyeurism where go-go bars were plenty and bikini clad chicks and topless dances were going on inside. Yeah, I could felt the loud music blaring under my feet as we walked past go-go bars with their doors wide open and bouncers manning outside politely tried inviting to walk in. Indeed there were ‘free sex shows’ openly advertised on their doors but as Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a Shoestring warned, “Avoid bars touting free sex shows as there are usually hidden charges and when you try to ditch the outrageous bill the doors are suddenly blocked by muscled bouncers.”

Even so, we didn’t go there to have a good time fucking pretty chicks! It just that we did not have the balls haha! I was glad my little brother behaved properly and my head did not succumb to the temptation!

At Patpong too, there is a long open-air market dealing in… you guessed it – fake designer watches, exotic foodtuffs, fake Levi’s that was spelt incorrectly like Live’s!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by this crowded open-air bar/pub to have a last hurrah of … Leo beers. We chatted about our trips, the food, Thai culture and so on we didn’t realize the pub was about to close for the night!

to be continued…last part next update :)

Thailand Day 9 - Chao Phraya Cruise & Walking Tour (26th July 2006)

2006-12-06T17:13:00.000+08:00

Once called “Venice of the East”, road construction and commercial development have necessitated the filling of much of the original system. Still, Mae Nam Chao Phraya or Chao Phraya River, as we saw today thrive with water transport activities. Our plan for the day was to revisit Thanon Khao San using a different route: Cruising along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya!

After a quickie breakfast (yeah…another fried noodle breakfast!) in the restaurant on the ground floor of our hotel (B40), we took the skytrain to go to Ratchathewi Station as Andy wanted to go to Pantip Plaza to look at the notebooks with a view to purchase one.

Inside skytrain… not as crowded as in previous days yet ‘standing room’ only!

This is the Pantip Plaza, the equivalent of Kuala Lumpur's Low Yat Plaza. Five floors and each floor the size of half of football field, every electronic of imaginable brands sold here! So too pirated latest DVD movies! Andy did not buy the notebook he yearned for as the price was not far different from that in Kota Kinabalu. Also, there is warranty issue. I took a quick survey, maybe about 15 minutes and then got out as I was bored inside being myself in the IT field!

After Pantip, we took the train again to go to Saphan Taksin to board a ferry at Tha Sathon (Sathon Pier). Destination: Phra Athit Pier (B12). Khao San is just 15-minute walking distance from this pier!

In town areas, one can hardly draw a line to divide between the past and the modern-day as they have merged so finely as a cultural entity. However, a cruise along Chao Phraya river lets you take in a riveting tour traversing Bangkok’s old and new. Lo and behold, the modern 5-star hotels and resorts on one side contrast starkly with the vestigial above-the-sea village on the other side.

A long-tail boat passes by Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn, named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. More of Wat Arun here.

I loved this snapshot! Despite the chaotic water waves made by passing boats and ferries, this saffron-robed monk was a picture of tranquility as he ponders serenely and silently as Wat Arun passed by in the background! Monks and apprentice-monks get to ride free on any ferries.

We disembarked at Phra Athit Pie and proceeded to walk to Khao San Road.

A lot of foreign travellers (us included *grin*) flock this strip - reading paperbacks, just plain relaxing with nothing to do except drinking beers, surfing the internet (lot of cybercafe here too)… There were also a few enterprising young Thais selling second-hand goods (latest used-LP books, branded backpacks, binoculars, Swiss knives, heavily thumbed page of novels in any languages, raincoats, branded windbreakers, sneakers, hiking shoes, old manual cameras, etc etc etc) that the farangs must have sold/left/pawned at knock-off price.

Our lunch was here…on the road literally!

Fried noodle with veggie eggroll and egg added in – only B25. I decorated my noodle with crunchy peanuts, chilly slices, and chilly powder.

Washed with iced nescafe mixed with sweet condensed milk. Tea and Milo (chocolate) also available. (B10)

It's unique to experience Khao San if you are in Bangkok even if you're trying to avoid the crowd! All sorts of activities are carried out here. We were here on Day 1 but it was already past 2 AM. So we were glad we came back again. I can't elaborate more as I would turn a spoiler man…*chuckle*

Neal in his trademark pose: Right-hand says "I Remember..." and Left-hand says "I Love..."

Just for the experience. Neal trying the reggae-like singer’s hairdo! For this, Neal threw B250.

After Khao San, we walked past National Gallery. Pleaded with the lady to let us tour inside (just after closing hour) then got out after 10 minutes. Inside were old pictures in the old Siam.

Not to be outdone, Andy with his ready toothy smile in front of Emerald Buddha Temple or Wat Phra Kaew. We missed the chance to enter as it was already past closing hour!

As it was starting to get dark, we walked to the nearest pier to board a ferry and take the train to our hotel. Our dinners were take-away hotdogs from 7-Eleven.

to be continued

Shit Happens! What should I gonna do?

2006-12-05T07:02:00.000+08:00

C'est la vie! Such is life that I can only hope the finder will at least has the heart to return it!

I inadvertently left my digicam with 512MB SD on the table at CBTL last week when I was too immersed in updating my blog and only realised to my horror when the camera was not in my bag on Sunday afternoon! So sad...

There are a lot of photos inside for my blog, wedding photos of my friends,....!

A bleak Chrismas for me maybe...!

Thailand Day 8 - Window Shopping in Bangkok (25th July 2006)

2006-12-03T23:29:00.000+08:00

The snapshot on the left summed up best our activities for the day: Window Shopping. Despite Bangkok’s frailties with air pollution, noise pollution (yeah…the notorious tuk-tuk’s rapid succession coughy-sounding engine made Jeremy’s blood boils!), overdevelopment, to name a few, shopping is king! From the squeaky clean up-market shopping malls to umbrella/tarpaulin shaded markets, choices are plenty for the bargain hunters as well as well-heeled shoppers! We were mostly perambulating in up-market shopping centers between Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Central World Plaza (formerly World Trade Center), which are next to one another! Central World Plaza might claim to be the largest mall in South East Asia!

Informal markets offer remarkable bargains of mostly assortment of plastic toys, household goods, polyester clothes, knock-off designer watches and bags. Best place to go for this is Chatuchak Market, just in front of Moh Chit Skytrain station. This is the mother of all markets consisting over 15,000 stalls. Everything is sold here: live chickens, snakes, dogs, cats, handicrafts, antiques, clothes, handbags etc… Chatuchak Market is held on weekends only so plan your itenerary accordingly.

Since Jeremy and I woke up early, we decided to experience the Skytrain, sightseeing from the comfort inside the coach! Beforehand, we left a note for Andy and Neal that we would be back by 9.00 AM for breakfast. Andy and Neal are late pattern adolescents so we left them to sleep more! The ultra-modern elevated BTS Skytrain offer a better alternative to tuk-tuk, taxi and bus to beat the Bangkok jams. Travelling on Skytrain was easy and the views were simply amazing! Fares vary from B10 – B50 but we purchased stored-value ticket (B100) that was good for one whole day (trains run from 6am – midnight) with unlimited rides!

Not an exhibition for cars! Rather office/government staff parking their cars in front of one of the Skytrain’s stations and take the trains to go to work.

Commuters patiently wait and queue to allow the incoming passengers to go out first before they board in! We rarely see this simple consideration in our own backyard! Big screen plasma television like this one on rooftop entertains commuters while waiting for trains to arrive.

Having covered all the stations, we went back to our hotel. Andy and Neal were ready and waiting. We went for breakfast at the hawker food stalls. Right picture shows row and row of stalls in a semi-circular layout. I didn’t count but the stalls must have easily passed more than 50!

Large or small, these wats or shrines/temples are a common sight in front of big buildings. Usually, the bigger and taller the building is, the bigger the shrine is. It was said there were about 300 such wats in Bangkok alone, rivalled only by Chiang Mai’s 300+ wats.

Not, not a traffic jam. Just the usual scenario on Bangkok roads!

Central World Plaza - a very big big mall. Just recently launched and obviously very few active shops and lots of empty lots waiting for prospective tenants. Business should pick up and run full steam by Christmas! Right pix: Andy dwarfed by the vastness of Central World to his left.

Jeremy and I are soccer aficionados and fans of Manchester United. Yet, I have not seen any shops that sell exclusively United’s paraphernalia. More often than not, we would chance upon red-themed shops catering to Liverpool fans and drool out the like of Pinolobu and FishingChilli!

Don: Jeremy, wahhh…why so many Liverpool shops ah?
Jeremy: Simple explanation mah. We Malaysians are mostly pro-Manchester Utd. People here are Liverpools fans.
Don: Thanks goodness…at least I can save some money…

Behind Central World Plaza, we were fascinated by this biggest TV screen we ever saw to date!

Lunch at the posh Blue Planet Restaurant with reasonable hawker-like price!

Nicely laid out and look very appetizing - a bit deviation from the usual hawker fires!

Musical water fountain beside Siam Paragon, an upscale shopping complex. Water danced in the air in response to musical rhythmic notes. Siam Paragon has an aquaria at the basement (B450 entrance fee). Saw the latest Samsung 60-inch HDTV sold here with an arm and a leg price of B699,000 (for this price, can buy a medium cost apartment in KK!). Just sat there (sofa provided!) for 30 minutes watching a DVD movie (Star War: Return of the Seth)! Wow… the experience indescribable… 3D-like and felt like part of the action!

While at Central World Plaza, we were given a ticket stub inviting us to visit King Power Duty Free Shop on the 11th Floor of Central World. The catch: Free gift and free welcome drink for any visitors without the obligation to buy! Huh… what the heck… just look and see what they have and free gift and drink somemore! “Sawadeeka”, the ladies greeted us at the front door. Things sold there: cigarette of all brands, brandy, dried foodstuff, handbags, etc did not fancy us.

Its food counter and their pretty chicks did attract us by the way. We had our dinner there as it was past 8 PM already.

Tom Yam Goong (according to the menu) with a strong lemon grass flavour. As usual, our bowls were ‘emptied!

Appreciative waitresses grinned as we sweated with their hot concoctions!

to be continued...

The Good ol' Days

2006-12-01T12:45:00.000+08:00

A bit of a detour, will ya folks...? Okay thanks!

By chance I found these old photos in my shoebox (Yeah...I kept my collection of old photographs in shoeboxes!) Agree, the photos look old and the colors faded too as they were taken during my varsity days in mid-1980s.

Make you think the location is somewhere in hot Africa, what with the umbrella and permed hair adding to suspense? Omnigosh...I looked so paiseh!

Well...seeing the photos, my mind flashed back through the time tunnel to my undergraduate days at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. To make a long story short: It was a very enriching experience both educationally and culturally, the chance to find the inner-self in you, the... the... list goes on...!

A rose among the thorns: Shan, Lindsay, Stephanie and yours truly

All of us attended Gallaudet university at the same time. While I am in touch with Shan and Hakeem via instant messaging occasionally, Lindsay and I have lost contact for about 20 years. I shot him a teasing e-mail recently. I don't know exactly his email address hence a teaser email! But knowing Lindsay's fullname and where he worked, I was able to hazard a guess!

My email to him was like this:

Don: Don's here just testing if you are reachable via this thought-out e-mail address!

Five days later...:

Lindsay: Yo Don, What a pleasant surprise to hear from you? I am elated to be honest. Miss you man and think about you from time to time when folks who know you bring your name up once in a while.

The rest is history! Excommunicado no more!

....and Hakeem (How I wish his last name ia Olajuwon...hint...hint...)

Shan was my old schoolmate at Penang's FSD. He attended Gallaudet University a year later after me. He is now teaching at a mainstreaming middle school in Virginia. Lindsay, who hailed from South Africa and idolised Nelson Mandela even when Mandela was still in jail at that time, is a big shot at our alma mater. Hakeem, a Nigerian, is an Auditor with the District of Columbia government. I am blur about Stephanie, but she is alive and well! (Hi, Stephanie, if you are reading this, shot me an e-mail will you?)

Shan and I usually liked to mix with the African students. Some of my best friends are from Africa! They were a bunch of funny people, able to conjure up humorous anecdotes out of thin air! Never a day was I with them that bored me, either on the dance floor (they loved to dance non-stop with the music blaring full volume!), on the soccer field (they are skilful players and formed the majority of the varsity soccer team), or sitting around a round table discussing politics (they have a knack for self-expression on anything politics)!

Most of all, I enjoyed being in their company simply because communication was a two-way process and their impeccably command of the English language was a plus. Very Queen English-like! What not...they read Shakespeares as part of the high school syllabus! Socialising with them developed my mind to be able to think critically and to put that thoughts in written forms!

There was one scenario during one hot summer day in June, 1981. We were doing our summer course homework on grassy ground under a tree behind Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell statue. Lindsay appeared to struggle with his Geometry and I explained the concept but not answer the question. An hour or so later, we were hungry so we decided to head for the nearby KFC outlet on Florida Avenue. Halfway towards the outlet, my synthetic rubber slippers snapped and I could not proceed any further without taking off the snapped sandals. But the concrete pavement was so hot I could not walk barefoot either. Lindsay lent me his oversized sandals and he walked barefoot (he used to be barefoot back in South Africa) all the way to KFC with amusement stares from diners inside. From then on, Lindsay became one of my best buddy at Gally!

Thailand Day 7 - Hangover Day in Bangkok (24th July 200)

2006-11-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Arriving Bangkok's Hualamphong Train Station, we were jolted from our slumberland by the sudden screeching of the coach coming to a halt at the scheduled time! Bangkok at 6.00AM felt too early to begin the day with. It would obviously be another uneventful day for us as we spent the day fighting hangover - a result of yesterday's delirious beer extravaganza in Phitsanulok! Interesting objects and landmarks that Bangkok promised so much did not attract the hallucinated heads in us. Fret we were not as we would be in this "City of Angels" for the next 3 days.

Still starry-eyed Andy caught us unaware with this unfocused picture! Couldn't blame him really! Perhaps the picture approriately summed up best our moods for the day: blurry views, clouded minds, lousy feelings, sleepy...this is what hangover is all about!

Each one of us took turn to watch our backpacks as two of us went to the toilet. The toilet were crowded (locals and foreigners) doing the DIY selfcare routine: brushing teeth, facial washes (yupp...men nowadays also do facial!), wiping themselves clean, changing clothes...even I saw a local policeman brushing his teeth and wetting his hair after his graveyard shift! There were actually 2 toilets at the station - one ordinary but big toilet that we went to (cost B10) and another one that looked poshy when I peeked inside and provided with hot water shower, hair blower, free use of towel, free small matchstick-sized soap...(cost B20 for the extra privileges).

Hualamphong Train Station

We left Hualamphong Station to go to Siam Paragon to regroup with Jeremy. Perusing the limited Bangkok city map we got from the airport days before, Siam Paragon seemed to be close by from the Station. We decided to walk.

We were lost in the Bangkok's myriad spaghetti-like thanons and sois (roads and streets). The lack of details on the map coupled with a clouded mind were quite a challenge! We would follow this certain road which looked like a shortcut to our destination only to be greeted with a deadend! Darn...I should have brought along my trusty Silva compass.

After walking for sometimes, we would rest whenever benches caught our eyes as our backs began to feel the strain of our heavy backpacks (mine was 15kg - no idea what I put inside!). We would recheck the map again to be sure we were going the correct way!

Even our precious derrières were not spared from Andy's naughty intoxicated mind!
To cross any roads in Bangkok is to go through the provided pedestrian tunnels or pedestrian walkway bridges.

We reached Siam Paragon finally after trudging for about 1 hour! The scorching sun made a sweat of us! This sweaty affair has somehow managed to reduce the effect of our hangover. Retracing our route from the station to Siam Paragon, we actually walked in a longer L-shaped route instead of taking a hypotenuse-like shortcut.

Double waitings! For Jeremy to show up and Siam Paragon to open!

Once inside Siam Paragon, we went straight to McDonald's. Jeremy appeared 10 minutes later. Feeling hungry, we scoured the menu and we ordered this burger. Looked like a typical burger in any fastfood outlet. What so special about this burger that is not available in Malaysia? Folks...you are seeing a pork burger! Tasted like any burgers - just damn delicious! (Cost: B59)

You know you are incredible very tired when you fall asleep inside McDonald's!

Having put our heavy backpacks at the Siam Paragon's counter for safekeeping, we explored Siam Paragon floor-to-floor. The variety and collection of goods sold were incredibly huge and all are branded too meaning this place was for the well heeled customers. Us backpackers were limited to just wash our eyes with gasped mouths. There was this one floor whose 50% of the floor space was occupied by golf sets!And I saw a 70-meter long display of golf sets of all brands imaginable. Tiger Woods, being a half-Thai with a Thai mother, must have done wonders to popularising the game of golf in Thailand.

Stumbled over this weird-looking chair with computer and associated paraphernalia similar to Formula One driver in paddock checking the timings of other drivers! After much observation later, this chair turned out to be a gamer's paradise. Sitting on the chair and playing Halo, the chair simulated the contour of battlefields. The chair would rock in rocky areas, felt the effect of flying when shooting at enemy targets below, etc! Hardcore Halo gamers (DARRV - inits of my colleagues) would surely love to try! (Pricey B100 per game. Minimum 4 persons!)

We succumbed to temptation over this yummy cakes as these were all we could afford!

Neal and I were tempted again by the nice food pictures in a Japanese restaurant inside Siam Paragon, so we might as well try just for the experience! Poor Andy doing his usual routine now whenever we went to! (B50-B65)

Towards the evening, we were too tired to continue exploring Siam Paragon. There are 2 or 3 floors not yet touched upon as our legs were slowly getting wobbly! So we went out to look for a reasonable hotel nearby. We were not disappointed as we found one with all basic facilities provided (air con, hot water, pail to wash our stinky clothes, tea-making facility) nearby National Stadium Skytrain Station with B600 rate for Double-bed (shared equally by all 4 of us: B150).

We took a well earned rest and fell asleep.

Woke up around 7PM and all of us went to look for dinner somewhere. We took the opportunity to scour the newly opened Central World Plaza. It was a huge mall but obviously very few tenants during that time. We stumbled upon food stalls behind Central World Plaze. We had our dinner there. (B45-B55)

to be continued...

Thailand Day 6 – Phitsanulok (23th July 2006)

2006-11-28T13:04:00.000+08:00

It was uneventful day today as we woke up late. The weather was unbearable and unusual hot! We went to the Phitsanulok Train Station to purchase our ticket to Bangkok. We would spend the rest of the day drinking ourselves to drunk with our Thai peers. The beer was on us! Chang Beer: B330 per carton.

We took our breakfast at the same foodstall we patronized during Day 4. Breakfast in Thailand is like having lunch or even dinner! Rice or noodle topped up with sauted dish of choice: beef, pork, chicken, fishballs or meatballs. It has been like this for close to one week now and I was yearning for a simple bread and butter with creamed tea or coffee!

These were what we had! I was asking for the yogurt again but apparently there was no more stock! Neal had rice topped with stir fried minced meat and sliced cucumber and lot…yeah..lot of ‘bird eye’ chillies. Neal fell in love this dish…whooaaaa! I had beef noodle soup but I prefer Donggongon's Hin Loi ngiu chap anytime!

These human-powered trishaws still thrive in out-of-town places such as Phitsanulok. Colorful Tuk-Tuks line up the edge of the road adjacent to Phitsanulok train station waiting for passengers.

Lunch in a small café inside the train station. Cosy atmosphere. All of us had yummy strong-flavoured iced Nescafe as it was hot outside.

Group picture with our nice host, Nataporn and friends. They looked so happy but actually looked sad when we boarded the train!

Our ticket! Looked pricey at B379 (beat the hell out of the beer price!) but we took a first class air conditioned coach with reclining chairs.

Not hard to spot which train went our way.

Out of focus snap of tipsy Neal taken by an equally intoxicated Andy. Lesson learnt: Don't take photographs when you are drunk...haha! Me? I was dead drunk and fast asleep already.

to be continued...

Lucky Street Grilled Fish

2006-11-27T13:00:00.000+08:00

Yesterday's was top-of-the-table English Premiership clash between leader Manchester United FC and second spot occupier Chelsea FC. Yeah...I am a diehard United fan even before Sir Ferguson became the Manager! Not wanting to miss this drooling encounter, I hooked up with Andy and Soo at our usual favourite place to view the match live on big screen. The game was hot and exciting and the one-one result was fair enough.

Despite the fancy name, Lucky Street Restaurant is just an ordinary coffeeshop with simple fares on the menu list! Its location is along the Jalan Penampang Lama not far from Yue Min Kindergarten School.

But if ever you happened to drop by that place at night, you might as well try this guy's grilled fish stall served on banana leaf. The home-made sauce used has an air of distinct aroma to it ! I can only say it tasted great. Pricewise, it depends on the size of the fish from RM5 to RM15. I brought my own 1.5kg fresh Jobfish that I caught during my recent deepsea fishing trip to be grilled there. Charge for ingredients and labour - RM6 with Andy picking the tab!

Nota Bene: I am not related in any way to the grilled fish guy!

UPDATE (11st December 2006): The fish guy is no more there! I asked around last night and the info I got was he went to Singapore for greener pasture!

My favourite blogging hangout!

2006-11-26T01:00:00.000+08:00

"Don, where do you usually blog?"

Glad you asked! Frankly, I do not have internet connection at home and I don't intend to apply for one, at least not in the foreseeable future!

I didn't realise blogging is so strenuous as far as updates are concerned! It can be mind-numbing too if faced with a writer's block!

Not anymore!

My usual haunt is The coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Damai outlet. Their 11g wifi facility here is fast and data streaming is such a breeze if not exactly great. The wifi here is protected so potential surfers need to ask the counter for access code.

Nah...our cameo appearance at CBTL! While Andy is 'camfrogging' in Sign Language with his KL angel, yours truly is blogging this...!

Whooaaa...that's Christmas tree behind us?!??!!

Oh oh....I know I know Christmas is approaching...

If only we can hear *this* to light up our spirits...!

*this*
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm all is bright,
'Round yon virgin, Mother and Child,
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
.........

Cheers to you all folks!

Thailand Day 5 – Daytrip to Chiang Mai (22th July 2006)

2006-11-25T23:22:00.000+08:00

Located 700km north-west of Bangkok, Chiang Mai's climate is cool and forgiving unlike the past few days in Central Thailand. Bookworm travellers might find this place like a kid to a candystore - bookshops predominate instead of glitzy shopping centers. For those wanting to learn more about Thailand culturally, there are classes in Thai language, Thai cooking, Thai massaging, meditation and even hill-tribe trekkings. Extreme sports like mountaneering, rock climbing, abseiling, shooting the water rapids are abound for those adventurous! Souvenir hunters are not to be left out...read on!

Thank goodness…we didn’t have the usual beer session last night as we would have to wake up at 3 am for the 5-hour journey to Chiang Mai. The cold air of the morning dawn was cold and biting as the Isuzu Hi-Lander 4x4 mazed its way through the darkness! However everyone of us were well prepared with windbreakers. Jeremy was not with us this time as he went to Bangkok last night for an appointment with his friend.

Our trip-by-pickup was unlike the previous trips where we travelled during daytime under the hot scorching sun, our Chiang Mai journey was in complete darkness! Given the condition, we hardly 'talked' with one another. Opportunities to chat (yeah...we sign!) only came when beams of light shined upon us from vehicles following behind!

We stopped by a roadside petrol station near Lampang for refuelling. Some of us went for light snacks of hotdogs and instant hot coffees, not forgetting the anxious rush to the loo. Hotdogs were DIY. Type of flavours included beef, pork, and chicken. Vegetables provided: lettuce, minced onion, sliced tomato and sliced cucumber. We topped our hotdogs with veggies as much as we liked to - there's no minimum amount! Then dressed our creations with sauces: thousand island, tartar, tomato or chilli! Whoooaaaa...great taste! Cost: B19

Two hours later, Chiang Mai town beckoned in the distance! First order of the day was to have a proper breakfast! Us budget travellers headed to the foodcourt where foodstalls abound.

Doi Suthep
First thing in the morning: visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep perched on a hilltop. This wat is one of the North's most sacred temples and the most touristed too as indicated by the throngs of tourists around. There were Middle Eastern tourists too with their long flowing black robe one-piece dress!arms of many tourists

The main attraction of Doi Suthep!

The site's was 'chosen' by an honoured Buddha relic mounted on the back of a white elephant; the animal wandered until it stopped (and died) on Doi Suthep, the relic's new home.

The short journey to Doi Suthep goes through a hairpin-curved 16km road that ascends the hill to a long flight of steps, lined by ceramic-tailed dragons, that leads to the temple and expansive views of the valley below

Dragon with multiple heads greet visitors.

One of the many souvenir stalls at the foot of Doi Suthep.

Chiang Mai Zoo
With Doi Suthep sightseeing done, some of us wanted to visit the Zoo which is just down the road as they wanted to see for themselves some cute animals that they could only see in Animal Planet channel.

Pygmy hippopotamuses open their wide mouthes begging for titbits - in this case, sweet yam that one must buy (B20 per bundle) from the animal's handler! Gracious ziraffe obliging for a photogenic shot!

Humboldt penguins moved so fast in their air-conditioned enclosure. The moist on the glass wall prevented a good photo opportunity. If only my compact got a fast shutter speed!

The star attraction of this zoo! Despite the separate entrance fee (B50), it was a bit congested inside as there were swarm of tourists taking endless snaps of the pair of pandas! (NOTE: Camera flash is not allowed when taking photographs!)

It was fun and enjoyable to watch these cute and adorable creatures with their playful antics and chasing each others around the enclosure. This was the second time I have seen pandas in person, having done so before years ago at Washington DC Zoo!

After Doi Suthep and zoo walkarounds, our stomaches started to make growl! Whooaaa... time for light snack of noodle soups at this foodstall (again!) outside a shopping center!

Insect food galore ala Fear Factor! Dunno what type of bugs are these but I don't want to know anyway!

Close-up shots of these critters!

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" All of us except for Thien (he chickened out!) just went for the experience without any second thought! Want to know what it tasted like? Yummy and crunchy!

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Chiang Mai Night bazaar is in fact the biggest tourist attraction, covering multiblock area, as we saw so many farangs (foreigners) looking for bargains! But beware though, as prices are very touristy (READ: expensive), so best to haggle as low as you believe is low enough. This bazaar offers a huge variety of Northern and Northeastern Thai goods: seua maw hawn (blue cotton farmer's shirt), Northern and Northeastern Thai hand-woven fabrics, hill-tribe crafts, woodcarving (figurines, elephants, Teak salad bowls...), antiques, teak hardwood furniture, textiles, jewellery, pottery....the list could be very long as I have not covered all areas! You'll find also some goods from India, Nepal and China on sale here.

Shopping for souvenirs for loved ones back home in Sabah!

Some of the surprises at the bazaar!

We were so darn tired, we actually did not have any problem taking 40 winks in the small space at the back of the truck on the way back Phitsanulok!...haha!

Our 3 AM supper upon arrival in Phitsanulok.

Regrets:
Our only regret was the lack of time as we were on a dayrip. We would have liked to spend 2 more nights here so as to give us more time to visit some of the popular places around Chiang Mai. Well, I think I will want to Chiang Mai again in the near future!

to be continued...

Thailand Day 4 - Daytrip to Tak Province

2006-11-23T17:30:00.000+08:00

The town of Tak, west of Thailand, is about 2½ hours drive away from Phitsanulok town. Tak is not particularly interesting except as a point to visit Lan Sang and Taksin Maharat National Parks to the west and Kheuan Phumiphon to the north. During our visit to Kheuan Phumiphon (Bhumibol Dam), there are very few visitors underscoring the 'remoteness' of Tak Province.

Again another of our usual foodstall breakfast nearby. we just wanted to try different foodstall as 'variety is the spice of life'! Food price here was somewhat on the high compared to yesterday's. Somehow, by our standard, it was still cheap. Fried rice with veggies and pork or chicken went for B20 (B25 with beef). I only had yogurt for breakfast and finished 3 cups as the price was darn low at B12 each. I love to eat this stuff but KK's price of RM3.80 (or B38) scared the shit out of me!

After our quickie breakfast, we were on our way to Tak using this pick-up! Oh boy...11 passengers in all! Some 2km near Phitsanulok town, the poor pick-up began chugging under our combined weights and it was not a good idea to proceed further using this pick-up. By a stroke of luck, Nataporn managed to borrow a Nissan truck from his friend in town!

Combo pictures showing us and a handsome Thai friend sitting at the back and the rest inside the cabin.

It was not all bed of roses sitting at the back though as we constantly shift seating positions just to make our joints comfortable! Standing, squatting, stretching our legs, trampling on one another legs, et cetera...we have done all imaginary positions...whoaaa! Veteran backpackers on the back of a truck we soon to become!

Sitting at the back has its rewards too like getting to shoot these two beautiful dames tailing our truck!

Midway on our journey, we stopped by 7-Eleven store for some hot coffee and hotdogs and also to answer the call of nature. Ahhh...we Malaysians were stumped to see this toilet. Unique and bold design yet properly thought-out considering the hot climate! Perhaps this is the solution for KK's smelly public toilets, huh?

The road to Tak passed through Sukhothai Province and rubber trees pepperred both sides of the road through the length of our journey. So it was no surprise then that Thailand is listed as the world’s numero uno for rubber production! Malaysia used to be among the top but I am not so sure now!

Reaching our destination, we were greeted by marvelous sight of this massive man-made dam. South East Asia's biggest dam, Bhumibol Dam was built in 1964 across the Ping River which is a tributary of the Great Chao Phraya River. This dam was conceived to provide irrigation and electrical generation. However, other benefits soon come into play such as flood control, fishery, navigation and tourism.

My compact digital camera with 35mm at the widest angle doesn't do justice to the vastness of Bhumibol Dam. So I resorted to cropping the picture from the signboard so you get the idea how big the dam is!

Combo pictures of left-side and right-side of the crest-shaped dam.

Oh no...not again! This is a cured dried meat from boar. Part of our lunch, it tasted yummy and about right - not too salty. Some of us bought a lot to take home to Sabah. B80 per kilogram.

We had our lunch at this foodstall nearby the river just down the road from the dam. However food prices here are a bit on the touristy side.

We ordered fish tom yam and it was darn VERY HOT! Just look at the bowl and count how many 'bird eye' chillies are in there? Neal braving the soup and later his face turned red...ahah! Later we would bestow him the title "Bird Eye Chilly Champion"...whoaaa!

As the clock ticked towards the evening, we have to rush back to visit the Sukhothai Historical park before it got dark. We reached there around 7.45 pm and straighway rushed to photograph the ruins as condition was getting dark and camera flash was not helpful due to the vast expanse of the ruins. We resorted to high ISO and exposure compensation settings. So the pictures you see here are grainy and blurry!

Wat Mahathat, the largest wat in Sukhothai dated back 13th Century. This wat is surrounded by brick walls and a moat, said to represent the outer wall of the universe and cosmic ocean. There are 198 chedi (stupa) within the monastery walls - a lot to explore in what many consider was the spiritual and administrative centre of the old capital [Source: LP Thailand - 9th Ed]

The Sukhothai ruins are one of Thailand's World Heritage sites. The temple architecture here is of the classic lotus-bud stupa, whcih features a conical spire topping a square-sided structure on a three-tiered base. [LP Thailand]

The huge Buddha on the right evokes the feeling of awe despite the late hours of the day. We would explore this place walking at a faster pace and be done with in 30 minutes. Still, the feeling of setting my feet here and the thought that these ruins were once the spiritual and administrative centre of the old capital of Thailand was awe inspiring at best. I couldn't have ask for more.

We reached our base at Phitsanulok around 10.30 PM. we have a sumptuous dinner prepared by Nataporn's mother. The fresh fish was steamed without any ingredients save for the veggies placed on top during the steaming process. The steamed fish smelled good and tasted great with the aroma of the veggies...whoaaa.

to be continued...

Thailand Day 3 - Around Phitsanulok

2006-11-22T17:15:00.000+08:00

There is not much to see in Phitsanulok except to say that this town acts as a major juncture between the north, northeast and west for travellers. For Wat lovers, there are plenty of them around. We spent the day visiting nearby Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat.

Hangover greeted us on the morning of our Day-3 as a result of beer session the night before! So naturally, we needed to eat some kinda noodle soup and we were not disappointed! Our host's mom told us of a nearby food stall just a stone's throw away.

This is a typical foodstall around housing estates here. Because of the language barrier, we just went into the kitchen and pointed at the ingredients we would like to have bla bla and the friendly lady operator would nod in understanding. Whoaaa... koayteow-like minced pork/meatballs and only B10 per bowl. Nice taste and not too salty (remember, they do not use salt and soy sauce! only fish sauce or nam pla).

This fishball and porkball sticks tasted so heavenly it was just indescribable ! We might have had so many sticks that we practically swept those still on tray! B2 - B4 per stick (20 sen - 40 sen)!

This is a sawngthaew (translated literally two rows) which is a common name for small pick-up trucks with two benches in the back. It is used as buses or taxis.

After our hearty breakfast, we took a sawngthaew to Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. This Wat is nearby to a school. Things turned good for us food-wise...whoaaa!

Adjacent to the Wat, this stall sells salted/dried freshwater fishes. The orange-colored thingy inside the red plastic bowl are fresh fish eggs!
As school was dismissed for the day, foodstalls sprang to life catering to school children at 'school children'a price' so we savoured more on the food than immersing ourselves to the Wat's history!

Cute school children in their regal uniforms obliging for a photo-shoot! They were fascinated with our way of communication via Sign Language.

This cholesterol-enrichened barbecued pork meatballs and sausages are very tempting. I ate a small portion only. The meatball and sausages are not all meat per se but rather mixed with veggies.

A hearty schoolchildren lunch never more than B10.

Thien savouring 'green' noodle and Andy enjoying his barbecued chicken.

We tried them all and never the taste fails!

On our way back, we dropped by this German-owned cafe-cum-pub creatively and approriately themed "Everytime". The interior design and decorations were so beautiful that I wanted my own home to be that way in future.

As night fell, we would go out again for a different experience. Our deaf Thai host summoned all his Thai deaf friends to take us to Night Bazaar/Market just along Mae Nam Nan or Nam Nan River! They would take us on motorcycles zigzagging at speed, sometimes cutting corners that almost made my heart popping out.

A cameo photo-shoot before the riding proper...not expecting what was to await us later!

to be continued

Thailand Day 2 – Bangkok to Phitsanulok

2006-11-20T17:40:00.000+08:00

Phitsanulok is 390km away north of Bangkok and is often abbreviated as ‘Phi-Lok’. Under the reign of Authaya King Borom Trailokanat (1448-88), Phitsanulok served as the capital of Thailand for 25 years. Many travellers prefer to use Phitsanulok as a base tor visiting the nearby ruins at Sukhotai, Kampaheng Phet and Si Satchanalai, as well as the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of Thung Salaeng Luang and Phu Hin Rong Kla, all of which are within 150km of Phitsanulok. The town’s own draw include Wat Phra Si Ratana mahathat (known locally as Wat Yai), which contains Phra Phutta Chinnarat, one of the most beautiful and revered Buddha images in Thailand.

Lonely Planet Thailand 9th Ed and Lonely Planet South East Asia on a shoestring 12th Ed

That’s the brand new Toyota Vigo Double Cabin pickup our Thai deaf friend owned and sent us to Bangkok’s Northern and North-Eastern bus station to catch a bus that would take us to Phitsanulok. Most of the double-cabin pick-ups I saw carry a much higher cc capacity (3.0 cc) than what we have in Sabah!

Holy cow! 8 adults packed like a sardine in the Toyota Vigo. In case your mind wanders, the lady is Nataporn's wife! Actually, 3 of us were seated at the back but once we came to a toll gate, the toll collector would not allow people to sit at the back as it is prohibited on tolled highway! Thanks goodness, the ride to the bus station from the toll gate took a mere 10 minutes! So our backs and joints were safe!

We saw this steroid-powered 138ps black beauty Mitsubishi Triton that, I think, will be launched tomorrow (21st November 2006) in Tanjung Aru. Such a bold radical design makes for an interesting choice. The rear passenger seat is spacious and comfortable unlike the crampy feelings I have had with other 4x4 double cabin pick-up models. I hope I can go to the launch tomorrow! And I do hope I can afford to get one when the time comes!

That our air conditioned double decker bus that will traverse 390km via central Thailand to Phitsanulok. Throughout the 6-hour journey, on both sides, vast tract of lands planted with paddy run hundred of kilometers long! No wonder then Thailand ranks first in the world for rice production! Added with very good drainage systems (Thailand has 3 big dams, one of which is the biggest in South East Asia – more on this later!), rice plantation can be done twice a year.

Spacious and comfortable seating with reclining chairs! Pillows and blankets are provided too. Even got that idiot box showing mostly Thai movies throughout the journey.

Lunch in styrofoam box on board and doused with a plastic-cupful of iced cola!

That was the simple lunch provided – fried chicken (wings) and raw cucumber slices on top of rice. But this bus hostess has a more yummy lunch! Whoaaa…!

Nataporn haggling with the Tuk-Tuk lady driver. In Thailand, we saw quite a number of women drivers driving heavy vehicles like 12-wheelers, big trucks carrying cements, even excavators! It is quite the opposite in Sabah as it is a frowned upon for a woman to drive heavy vehicles.
Our first Tuk-Tuk riding experience…whoaaa great feelings! The vibration I felt from the engine sounds like tuk-tuk…hence the name, Tuk-Tuk. Make sense eh?

Tired and resting at our host Nataporn’s place. Our comfortable air-conditioned free lodging for the next 3 days!

Dinner with new Thai deaf friends. Tom yam seafood soup – very hot and distinctive taste compared to what we have in Sabah.

Colorful, delicious and glorious food! Unable to translate the names so I will let the photos do the talking!

Too hot to handle! Jeremy’s reaction to hot and spicy food…! Still we all managed to ‘clean’ the plates!

This is the usual spectacle of our nightly (but not always) sins! What’s not? One carton of 1-liter beer goes downright cheap at B330!!! Most Thais do love to drink beers and brandy! It is unsporting not to accept their invitations but as always we were accommodating but not to the extent of going overboard! One thing I noted was Thais drink their beers with ice. I seldom see that in KK, though. Also, beer of any brands in Kota Kinabalu carries 5% alcohol contents, in Thailand, the content is a tad higher at 8%.

To be continued…

An 11-Day Thailand Rendezvous

2006-11-15T11:45:00.000+08:00

My usual traveling buddies, Andy and Jeremy texted me one day in December 2005 about ‘attacking’ Thailand for the mentioned duration! Since I am running low in my pocket, I texted back that I would have to think first. But they persisted on since they were already live online with Air Asia’s site and what they saw as a steal price - Air Asia offering free seats for the price of one way flight! Wow great. RM177 after tax and ex-Kota Kinabalu direct to Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport! So texted back, “Go ahead, count me in!”

Until 1939, Thailand was Siam and has never been colonized by a foreign power, unlike its South and South-East Asian neighbours. Thais are often depicted as fun-loving and happy-go-lucky folk, they are proud and strong-minded, and have struggled for centuries to preserve their independence of spirit. Thai culture has remained dominant, even in modern city life. The end result is that Thailand has much to interest the traveler, from trekking in the north’s picturesque mountains to chilling out on one of the many exotic islands in the south.
Thailand has an area of 517,000 sq. km. and its shape on the map has been likened to the head of an elephant, with its trunk extending down the Malay peninsula.

Lonely Planet Thailand 9th Edition

Thailand Day 1 - Arriving Bangkok (18th July 2006)

The D-day has finally came and off we went: Me, Jeremy, Andy, Neal and Thien after 6 anxious months of waiting ! Except for Jeremy, all of us are deaf. It goes to show that deaf people can travel too unaccompanied. Eventhough Jeremy is a hearing individual, it was of no use as he later found out when we all went to Northern Thailand. Everyone of us communicated with the Thais in rugged sign language, including Jeremy because English is not widely used and understood compared to Bangkok!

There was this funny incident in the plane to Bangkok! The stewards and stewardesses were all Thais because their name tags carried Thai-like spellings! When one of the stewards found out 4 of us are deaf, he immediately asked each one of us to be paired with hearing strangers! Reason: In case of emergency, the hearing buddy will help the deaf! Duh...I think this steward must have been born from another planet for how else he thought the deaf could not take care of themselves! As it was, I was paired with Jeremy, Andy with somebody, Neal with somebody else up front and Thien also with some unknown jerk somewhere. As a result, the deaf sat silently and in boredom throughout the flight since they are deprived of communication with their peers! But when they have the urge to convey messages, they just stood-up and signed to the other far away in front...Hmmmm...such is the beauty of Sign Language!

Backpacking to Thailand! Note the mattresses we brought along!

Andy configuring his new camera, Neal our industrious videoboy and an excited Jeremy, craning into the picture frame!

Don with his perpetual companion, Lonely Planet Thailand and a smiling Thien.

Yahoooo.... The signboard said it all!

Fascinating wood sculpture depicting elephants in various positions! As I later found out, elephants are revered in Thai society and among the most powerful symbols in Thai culture. Elephant symbolizes wisdom, strength and good fortune.

Nataporn (not sure of the spelling though) who is also deaf and and his friend greeted us at the airport. Thien is an avid user of Camfrog webcam and that was where Thien met and befriended Nataporn! After a short formal introduction, we were soon taken in a Toyota Vigo double-cabin pickup to a cheap hotel to put up for the first night. At B500 per night double room, Rajdamnoen Hotel is reasonable cheap and we shared that cost at B100 per each of us. That meant RM10.00 (Exchange rate: B10 = RM1.00)

Once inside our hotel, we all went into “The Art of War” session at 1.00 AM just to devise strategic plans for the next 10 days! Andy is clearly seen making enquiries with Nataporn!

Feeling hungry as we haven’t had our dinner since leaving Kota Kinabalu late evening, Nataporn led us to nearby Thanon Khao San, (or Khao San Road) being the nearest to our hotel, on foot. I have read so much about Thanon Khao San being a ‘Backpacker’s Paradise’. And indeed it was after an hour of exploring along that strip. Thanon Khao San is the main travellers center for low budget travellers and both sides of the road are littered with cheap guesthouses, some as low as B80 for single room (B120 for doubles) but these rooms might be hard to get due to high demands! Even at 2.00 am, local Thais, Asians and farangs (Westerners, ‘white people’) mingled about with gay abandon drinking the night away! Wow…no wonder Bangkok never sleeps! We would revisit this place again to see what make this place ticks all day long towards the end of our Thailand sojourn!

This is the famous Thanon Khao San strip! The constant pedestrian traffic as shown above at 2 AM presents a carnival-like atmosphere!

These aunties are quite enterprising lot offering their highly concentrated concoction coffee for those with heavy eyes. Ice or no ice, still el cheapo at B10!

Whoaaa...Night Bazaar from late evening till day break the next morning! This is a 5.30 am snapshot by Andy!

Motorised saamlaw, meaning ‘three wheels’. They are also called Tuk-Tuk because of the throaty cough their two-stroke engines make!

Taxis jamming the touristy strip in the wee hours of the morning. That being so tells how popular Thanon Khao San is. Same case with popular thanons and soi(s) in other parts of Bangkok!

At last, we had our dinner-cum-supper at an unholy hour of 3.00 AM! Roadside food stalls are pretty common in Thailand and offer various local fares. As expected, the food we ate were very hot and spicy and yet so damn delicious. What the heck with the price at B30, some of us went for second servings!

These were some of the myriad variety of Thai dishes we had. Looked very much like what we have in Sabah, but taste-wise, they are quite different really!

Thai Cuisine
Thai cuisines are pungent and spicy with lot of garlic and chillies – not the usual big mild chilly, rather the like of ‘chili padi’ or ‘bird eye’ chilly! Thai food is always cooked with fresh ingredients, especially herbs. Lime juice, lemon grass and coriander leaf are added to give the taste the characteristic tang! Other common seasonings in Thai food are galangal, black pepper, basil, peanuts, tamarind juice, ginger, grounded chillies and to a little degree coconut milk. Fish sauce (‘nam pla ‘ usually made from fermented anchovies) and shrimp paste (‘ka-pi) are also added in place of salt and soy sauce.

TO BE CONTINUED…

It's time... IT's TIME...

2006-11-10T16:40:00.000+08:00

How many times I’ve told myself I would do a blog of my own soonest? It was like I’ve been saying this umpteen times I couldn't remember my own promise anymore.

And now and pretty soon, another year will be passing by without much ado. Things that I have been wanting to write are slowly ballooning and rotting inside my head.

Now come this long overdue self-promise that I am about to fulfill. My own blog entitled "My Hearing Eyes" is now officially born.

This blog will rave and rant everything there are to rave and rant, especially connected to my silence world. How I perceive things the way I SEE them.

I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy penning my thoughts here!