for all of my friends and family that check my blog regularly, i'll let you in on a little secret...
i'm coming home early! i was supposed to be coming home on the 14th june, but i'll be home on the 8th june instead. so for those of you who read my blog, you'll know. but for my ignorant mates who i know couldn't be 4rsed to read it, i'll surprise your smelly 4sses.
see you soon ma!
[i have collection from airport already organised]
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
06/06/2007
was going to put up pics from the thai cooking course we did, but i can't get this PC to read my card. cooked 5 courses.
- fried rice with chicken
- thai red chicken curry with boiled and fried noodles
- papaya salad
- spring rolls
- deep fried bananas
fwas very cool as it was a small group [only 5 students] so very hands-on and got to buy stuff from market ourselves. food was delicious and made by me! i'd definitely recommend this guy; nousi. his website is here: SILOM thai cooking school
here's a pic from their website [and what it was really like]
- fried rice with chicken
- thai red chicken curry with boiled and fried noodles
- papaya salad
- spring rolls
- deep fried bananas
fwas very cool as it was a small group [only 5 students] so very hands-on and got to buy stuff from market ourselves. food was delicious and made by me! i'd definitely recommend this guy; nousi. his website is here: SILOM thai cooking school
here's a pic from their website [and what it was really like]
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
04/06/2007
hello mr. taxi driver. this is your 4rse and this is your elbow. they are not the same. they are in fact, different. taxi drivers in any other city in the world know their territory like the back of their hand, but not in bangkok. nope. the problem in part arises because all of the streets have 2 names. the english version and the thai one. but even when we give them a map with thai street names and direction in thai on how to get to our hotel, they seem flabergasted. our last trip saw the driver stop twice to ask locals for directions and hand our map over to them to inspect. and all taxi drivers appear to be driving in some great bangkok grand prix that no one was told about. i'm not sure if we were wining, but boy was he trying to use as much petrol and brake pads as possible. nice, whiplashy kind of trip if you know what i mean.
this morning we went to the tailor recommended on the lonely planet forums by several members; - narry.com . interesting process. picked material for suits and shirts, measured up [loads of measurements taken] and then told them the style & features we wanted. 2 suits, 2 shirts, and 2 ties cost me about 290 euro, but i did select slightly more expensive material, you could have got it cheaper. heading back over tomorrow at 5pm for initial fitting, then back the next day for final adjustments.
we then headed to MBK shopping centre and bought a bag and t-shirts, etc. back to the hotel. went back out to the infamous khao san road to get some fake student IDs [ISIC]. now i can get cheap cinema tickets in liffey valley, etc. we then went to the cinema in siam centre to see shrek 3. was as expected; funny, but not as funny as the previous ones. may got to the cinema again as it is filthy cheap and really good seats.
i also picked up a replacement lense cap for my new SLR camera as i may or may not have lost my lense cap while streching over the mekong delta river taking a picture of a python.
this morning we went to the tailor recommended on the lonely planet forums by several members; - narry.com . interesting process. picked material for suits and shirts, measured up [loads of measurements taken] and then told them the style & features we wanted. 2 suits, 2 shirts, and 2 ties cost me about 290 euro, but i did select slightly more expensive material, you could have got it cheaper. heading back over tomorrow at 5pm for initial fitting, then back the next day for final adjustments.
we then headed to MBK shopping centre and bought a bag and t-shirts, etc. back to the hotel. went back out to the infamous khao san road to get some fake student IDs [ISIC]. now i can get cheap cinema tickets in liffey valley, etc. we then went to the cinema in siam centre to see shrek 3. was as expected; funny, but not as funny as the previous ones. may got to the cinema again as it is filthy cheap and really good seats.
i also picked up a replacement lense cap for my new SLR camera as i may or may not have lost my lense cap while streching over the mekong delta river taking a picture of a python.
03/06/2007
wake @ 6am to go to the airport and head to thailand. the flight to bangkok was less than an hour. staying in the royal hotel near the khao san road, and it's ok, but the price is very good for bangkok. most decent hotels over here cost a lot more than what you'd expect - i guess it's all the tourism they get.
wrecked after the last few early mornings, so we had a little cat nap before heading out to the weekend market - the largest market by far, so we didn't want to miss it. we were told that the taxi drivers in the hotels are more reliable and won't overcharge or try to bring you to places you don't want to go or didn't request [so they can earn commission from sellers]. we had quite the opposite experience. he charged us 5 euro to get to the market and wanted us to visit different shops instead. on the way back we got a regular taxi on a meter and paid 2 euro. lesson learned.
the market was excellent. better than ANY other we have been to in asia. we started stocking up on clothes in preparation for the journey home. i bought a couple of t-shirts, jeans, and some runners. very reasonable proces and they are pretty trendy stuff aswell; not just printed t-shirts you see in all other markets. heading off to try find a tailor tomorrow to get a fitted suit made up. should be fun!
unlike other countries, so far everything is pretty cheap here. [sometimes drink / transport / food / accommodation can cost inproportionately to cost of living].
wrecked after the last few early mornings, so we had a little cat nap before heading out to the weekend market - the largest market by far, so we didn't want to miss it. we were told that the taxi drivers in the hotels are more reliable and won't overcharge or try to bring you to places you don't want to go or didn't request [so they can earn commission from sellers]. we had quite the opposite experience. he charged us 5 euro to get to the market and wanted us to visit different shops instead. on the way back we got a regular taxi on a meter and paid 2 euro. lesson learned.
the market was excellent. better than ANY other we have been to in asia. we started stocking up on clothes in preparation for the journey home. i bought a couple of t-shirts, jeans, and some runners. very reasonable proces and they are pretty trendy stuff aswell; not just printed t-shirts you see in all other markets. heading off to try find a tailor tomorrow to get a fitted suit made up. should be fun!
unlike other countries, so far everything is pretty cheap here. [sometimes drink / transport / food / accommodation can cost inproportionately to cost of living].
Monday, June 04, 2007
02/06/2007
up at 6am this morning for the 2nd and last day of our mekong tour. the day started off great with 2 people each getting on small row boats to float down to the fish farm, then back to the row boats to gently press on - this was very relaxing. there was a mother and daughter team on our boat and the girl was so cute [see pics below]. she was facinated by dee's freckles!
we got to our lunch stop @ 11am and were told that we needed to wait for an hour, while they sorted out the visas to get back into cambodia. as we sat there in the restaurant for what seemed like an age under the tin roof, all the local kids surrounded us and demanded attention. they are so happy and loved when we all joined in playing their clapping games. 3 and a half hours later we passed through immigration by speedboat [as the main boat broke down] and got to the cambodian side. then another "15 mins" wait turned out to be another hour, and our final trip home was supposed to be 2 hours [1 hour boat, 1 hour bus], turned into 6 hours! was a nightmare journey back getting caught in storms etc.
i wouldn't have minded a whole lot about the extra time taken, but in the heat and humidity i was dripping and in dire need of air-con and a shower. was aa bit pissed off at the tour company [sin cafe] at the end, but all in all the mekong tour was a great trip to see how the locals live.
what i'll remember most about vietnam is the people. on themekong everyone would wavem dance and shout at you as you were floating by, to let you know you are welcome. what makes the vietnamese different is that they are not just being nice and then immediately asking you for money; they are genuine.
we got to our lunch stop @ 11am and were told that we needed to wait for an hour, while they sorted out the visas to get back into cambodia. as we sat there in the restaurant for what seemed like an age under the tin roof, all the local kids surrounded us and demanded attention. they are so happy and loved when we all joined in playing their clapping games. 3 and a half hours later we passed through immigration by speedboat [as the main boat broke down] and got to the cambodian side. then another "15 mins" wait turned out to be another hour, and our final trip home was supposed to be 2 hours [1 hour boat, 1 hour bus], turned into 6 hours! was a nightmare journey back getting caught in storms etc.
i wouldn't have minded a whole lot about the extra time taken, but in the heat and humidity i was dripping and in dire need of air-con and a shower. was aa bit pissed off at the tour company [sin cafe] at the end, but all in all the mekong tour was a great trip to see how the locals live.
what i'll remember most about vietnam is the people. on themekong everyone would wavem dance and shout at you as you were floating by, to let you know you are welcome. what makes the vietnamese different is that they are not just being nice and then immediately asking you for money; they are genuine.
01/06/2007
our adventure on the mekong delta river tour began with a bus journey narrated by a character named tham. amoungst the strangely pronunciated words [that we caught every sixth word of], one thing was clear; tham liked the sound of his own voice. he'd talk endlessly about fish, number plates, cars, coconuts, and things you can make from coconut... you name it, he could sh1te on about it until you became mentally numb.
so as per the itenarary, we headed off on the boat to see a small village to see the making of rice paper, coconut sweets, and rice crispy squares. bought - ate - liked. we mosied some more down the river to get lunch [vietnamese food] and to hear some of the terrible indigeneous music - needless to say i won't be rushing out to buy their album. back on the boat, then transferred back to a bus to get to the hotel for the night. we seemed to have skipped half the stuff on the itinerary like going to the floating market, but we read that this might happen. hotel was good.
so as per the itenarary, we headed off on the boat to see a small village to see the making of rice paper, coconut sweets, and rice crispy squares. bought - ate - liked. we mosied some more down the river to get lunch [vietnamese food] and to hear some of the terrible indigeneous music - needless to say i won't be rushing out to buy their album. back on the boat, then transferred back to a bus to get to the hotel for the night. we seemed to have skipped half the stuff on the itinerary like going to the floating market, but we read that this might happen. hotel was good.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
31/05/2007
one thing i forgot to mention about my activities yesterday... on the way to the tunnels we stopped off at a handicraft place that employs handicapped or "unlucky" [not sure what that means - i guess poverty-striken] people. they do paintings with inlays in mother of pearl or egg shells. it's amazing and you really have to see the processes to appreciate how many hours goes into creating them. me and dee both bought a small one each. very impressed.
today i got a haircut [with shampooing included - a 1st for me] for 3 dollars. dee got one for 6 dollars. about 6 times cheaper than ireland. reverse culture shock will be a b1tch. i'm not paying 5 euro for a pint... that's for sure!
all over asia it seems to be rainy season and amid all of the humidity, it rains like a monsoon about once a day, but only for about an hour or 2. there's brilliant lightning aswell that lights up the sky like fireworks and thunder that you can feel in the pit of your stomach. i actually awoke from a siesta one day in a dizzy stupor, shouting, as i thought there was gunfire outside our hotel as the thunder was that loud and sticatto. crossing roads here is taking your life in your hands - just close your eyes and don't slow down!
as mentioned before, we're heading on a mekong delta tour tomorrow for 2 days so will not be able to the internet i imagine.
today i got a haircut [with shampooing included - a 1st for me] for 3 dollars. dee got one for 6 dollars. about 6 times cheaper than ireland. reverse culture shock will be a b1tch. i'm not paying 5 euro for a pint... that's for sure!
all over asia it seems to be rainy season and amid all of the humidity, it rains like a monsoon about once a day, but only for about an hour or 2. there's brilliant lightning aswell that lights up the sky like fireworks and thunder that you can feel in the pit of your stomach. i actually awoke from a siesta one day in a dizzy stupor, shouting, as i thought there was gunfire outside our hotel as the thunder was that loud and sticatto. crossing roads here is taking your life in your hands - just close your eyes and don't slow down!
as mentioned before, we're heading on a mekong delta tour tomorrow for 2 days so will not be able to the internet i imagine.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
30/05/2007
on our final day in phnom penh we had a look at the royal palace, which is pretty surreal, as outside the gates of this golden bastion is major poverty. the palace was pretty cool with plenty of artifacts from cambodia's previous kings. we headed to vietnam the following morning to ho chi minh city.
ho chi minh [and vietnam in general] seems far more developed than cambodia. the roads are decent, there's more cars, and the shops in the city are nice. there's even a KFC here! not that i'd ever eat there again...
this morning we headed out to the cu chi tunnels about 90 mins from the city. this is where the majority of the fighting was done in the vietnam war. our vietnamese guide was an interpreter during the war for the americans so was full of great information. the tunnels themselves are absolutely tiny - i got to journey down one of the larger sections to see what it was like for the rebel force. i even got to kill some gooks! ok, ok, maybe not quite... but i did get to fire some rounds off at a shooting range using the trusty AK47 - the russian semi-automatic that has been the weapon of choice for rebels for the last god knows how long. was a weird experience. phil would be proud i guess. i've shot using that weapon in so many computer games i've lost count. dee took a film of me while shooting, so will show ye when i get back. not a habit i'll be taking up though, don't worry ma.
we also headed to the war museum today and saw loads of tanks and airplanes. there was geansai-loads of photos from the press in the vietnam war era aswell. to top off the busy day, i decided to go have a look at the opticians here in vietnam to see could i pick up a pair of glasses for a reasonable price. an eye test, frames, and glare coated lenses all set me back 25 euro. sweet.
heading to some markets and shops tommorow, then we're off to the mekong delta tour for 2 days; which starts in vietnam, and ends in cambodia. a quick stop there and then off to thailand!
ho chi minh [and vietnam in general] seems far more developed than cambodia. the roads are decent, there's more cars, and the shops in the city are nice. there's even a KFC here! not that i'd ever eat there again...
this morning we headed out to the cu chi tunnels about 90 mins from the city. this is where the majority of the fighting was done in the vietnam war. our vietnamese guide was an interpreter during the war for the americans so was full of great information. the tunnels themselves are absolutely tiny - i got to journey down one of the larger sections to see what it was like for the rebel force. i even got to kill some gooks! ok, ok, maybe not quite... but i did get to fire some rounds off at a shooting range using the trusty AK47 - the russian semi-automatic that has been the weapon of choice for rebels for the last god knows how long. was a weird experience. phil would be proud i guess. i've shot using that weapon in so many computer games i've lost count. dee took a film of me while shooting, so will show ye when i get back. not a habit i'll be taking up though, don't worry ma.
we also headed to the war museum today and saw loads of tanks and airplanes. there was geansai-loads of photos from the press in the vietnam war era aswell. to top off the busy day, i decided to go have a look at the opticians here in vietnam to see could i pick up a pair of glasses for a reasonable price. an eye test, frames, and glare coated lenses all set me back 25 euro. sweet.
heading to some markets and shops tommorow, then we're off to the mekong delta tour for 2 days; which starts in vietnam, and ends in cambodia. a quick stop there and then off to thailand!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
27/05/2007
took the 5 hour bus from siem reap to phnom penh [capital of cambodia] yesterday. staying in a guesthouse called the bright lotus, which is not as good as the last one in siem reap [bou savy], but ok. food is good here though. loving the asian food, noodles, rice, veggies; it's all good. had a few drinks last night for the first time in a while which was nice - drink is much cheaper her than malaysia or singapore.
headed off to the killing fields this morning and then to the genocide museum after. crazy stuff. and only happened 30 years ago! basically the weirdo leader of a rebel group got into power and decided that he wanted to make cambodia a group of peasant farmers. he went about this by killing all intellectuals, leaders, teachers, medical staff, diplomats... even anyone with glasses! [as they were considered intellectual]. then presumably no one could take over his rule as all that was left was farmers with no education. i don't fully understand it, but thousands were tortured and killed. pretty depressing stuff.
to cheer ourselves up we decided to go to massage by the blind, which is on the same street as our guesthouse. it is a good cause, and they are meant to be very good as they have hightened scences and all that jazz. anyway, this cambodian lady battered and rubbed the cr4p out of me for an hour. we chose the relaxing japanese option, so i'd shudder to think what the more serious ones are like. it was nice all the same, and i'm now very relaxed and ready for a kip. i think next time i'll opt for an aromatherapy or reflexology massage... maybe tomorrow, as it only cost 5 dollars!
traffic here is completely insane, but we've become used to it now. motorbikes all over the place, tuk-tuks, and a few jeeps. merging is a black art that requires driving on the wrong side of the road weaving through traffic like the film ronin until you get a space on the right side. fun fun! we're gonna have a look at the royal palace and russian market tomorrow. then off to ho chi minh city the day after that [in vietnam].
headed off to the killing fields this morning and then to the genocide museum after. crazy stuff. and only happened 30 years ago! basically the weirdo leader of a rebel group got into power and decided that he wanted to make cambodia a group of peasant farmers. he went about this by killing all intellectuals, leaders, teachers, medical staff, diplomats... even anyone with glasses! [as they were considered intellectual]. then presumably no one could take over his rule as all that was left was farmers with no education. i don't fully understand it, but thousands were tortured and killed. pretty depressing stuff.
to cheer ourselves up we decided to go to massage by the blind, which is on the same street as our guesthouse. it is a good cause, and they are meant to be very good as they have hightened scences and all that jazz. anyway, this cambodian lady battered and rubbed the cr4p out of me for an hour. we chose the relaxing japanese option, so i'd shudder to think what the more serious ones are like. it was nice all the same, and i'm now very relaxed and ready for a kip. i think next time i'll opt for an aromatherapy or reflexology massage... maybe tomorrow, as it only cost 5 dollars!
traffic here is completely insane, but we've become used to it now. motorbikes all over the place, tuk-tuks, and a few jeeps. merging is a black art that requires driving on the wrong side of the road weaving through traffic like the film ronin until you get a space on the right side. fun fun! we're gonna have a look at the royal palace and russian market tomorrow. then off to ho chi minh city the day after that [in vietnam].
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
25/05/2007
to sum up siem reap in cambodia:
- looking at amazing temples that are falling apart [because they are 900 years old]
- hiring a guide, but he knew as little as we did
- hottest place so far on our trip
- super-humid
- nicest people EVER [so far]
- great food + fruit
- great shakes [smoothies]
- nutters on motorbikes [some carry whole families!]
heading to phnom penh tomorrow to stay in a guesthouse called the bright lotus
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
22/05/2007
the 4 star hotel in kuala lumpur was as per the photos, fantastic. had a bath every night i was there! we didn't see much in KL, just lazed about as it was very hot and humid. we went to see chinatown, and i bought myself a watch [long overdue - my current one is rusting from the inside out!]. we also went to a cultural dance show near the tourist office - was pretty good. spent the most time in the food court in the petronas towers - we ate there every night!
got a cold from the eskimo bar in singapore, it only hit me in KL, still recovering, but should be gone soon. taking more pills than my granny in the morning at the moment: vitamin C, sudafed, malerone [maleria tablets], garlic tablets [to keep mozzies away], lemsip, vicks and olbas oil. godda love it!
just got to siem reap in cambodia today - our first guest house aswell; that's all they've got in cambodia and vietnam [no hostels]. it is huge and is pretty much a hotel. tv and air con in room and en suite. nice. tuk tuk driver met us at airport and is going to bring us around the temples for the whole day tommorow for $12 dollars! [they use US dollars over here mainly]. in case you do not know what a tuk tuk is, then here's a pic...
that's dee in the front and i'm driving [i've got an awesome tan]
got a cold from the eskimo bar in singapore, it only hit me in KL, still recovering, but should be gone soon. taking more pills than my granny in the morning at the moment: vitamin C, sudafed, malerone [maleria tablets], garlic tablets [to keep mozzies away], lemsip, vicks and olbas oil. godda love it!
just got to siem reap in cambodia today - our first guest house aswell; that's all they've got in cambodia and vietnam [no hostels]. it is huge and is pretty much a hotel. tv and air con in room and en suite. nice. tuk tuk driver met us at airport and is going to bring us around the temples for the whole day tommorow for $12 dollars! [they use US dollars over here mainly]. in case you do not know what a tuk tuk is, then here's a pic...
that's dee in the front and i'm driving [i've got an awesome tan]
Saturday, May 19, 2007
19/05/2007
met up with reuben last night in singapore. still can't get over how lucky we were to stumble into each other miles away from home. went shopping for electronics [got my digital SLR], then headed to clarke quay for pints. went to eskimo bar; which has the air con turned up to the max and the staff wear fluffy jackets and it's pretty damn cold when you're wearing a tshirt! roo was fine and dee borrowed a jacket from the bar, but i was freezing my nuts off! headed to an irish pub with a very original name - molly malones. drink is SO expensive here. it's not really worth it. also, you can smoke in the bars so woke up with sore dry throat this morning - i forgot what it was like a few years ago in ireland - thank god for the smoking ban back home.
heading to kuala lumpur tomorrow morning at 10am. going to a 4 star hotel in the city. Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. can't wait. filthy cheap aswell. living it up. probs get massages and all. proper toff. here's some pics:
Friday, May 18, 2007
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