tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33384694981311282002024-03-13T07:08:32.662-07:00Asiatic PerambulationsMatthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-87738758094515941512010-02-19T12:18:00.001-08:002010-02-19T13:07:14.558-08:00Rishikesh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S375-WOZr-I/AAAAAAAAAw0/78-UtgGh6RI/s1600-h/P2020443.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S375-WOZr-I/AAAAAAAAAw0/78-UtgGh6RI/s400/P2020443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440060249423327202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S375-FtEbhI/AAAAAAAAAws/gZ1ym2kc5v0/s1600-h/P1310439.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3F0x9rvTPI/AAAAAAAAAoE/b6hEIliE5qY/s400/P1080081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436254626933329138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3F0xu0HHTI/AAAAAAAAAn8/25Qz4wRl2oI/s1600-h/P1080077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3F0xu0HHTI/AAAAAAAAAn8/25Qz4wRl2oI/s400/P1080077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436254622941912370" border="0" /></a>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-13026783476331157192010-02-09T04:58:00.000-08:002010-02-09T07:40:36.862-08:00Koh Samui and Koh Tao<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtlDNC83I/AAAAAAAAAnU/kHj88_Xxbow/s1600-h/P1050072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtlDNC83I/AAAAAAAAAnU/kHj88_Xxbow/s400/P1050072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436246708495512434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtknaQjRI/AAAAAAAAAnM/vYBcayo3WXQ/s1600-h/P1050070.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtknaQjRI/AAAAAAAAAnM/vYBcayo3WXQ/s400/P1050070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436246701034736914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtkZ1L5eI/AAAAAAAAAnE/5ODLmpWoXgM/s1600-h/P1050069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtkZ1L5eI/AAAAAAAAAnE/5ODLmpWoXgM/s400/P1050069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436246697389581794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FtjwHEhuI/AAAAAAAAAm8/wepIJn0ZUL8/s1600-h/P1050062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FeVt51ePI/AAAAAAAAAmk/7IK_q3N5zIc/s400/P1030041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436229952405338354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FeU6NB2HI/AAAAAAAAAmc/r7aGQE5rkkQ/s1600-h/P1010029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FeU6NB2HI/AAAAAAAAAmc/r7aGQE5rkkQ/s400/P1010029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436229938527197298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FeUm2lElI/AAAAAAAAAmU/0eCtLtRgM5I/s1600-h/P1010023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/S3FeUm2lElI/AAAAAAAAAmU/0eCtLtRgM5I/s400/P1010023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436229933332763218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzx_YN-_tNa05fR2RXFk1cRN_ODvhLTX8ENYfuFkA8xE3x7Cs6pu-IZY19ajJGILXZWeuljTaaHrqlG6A7-Dw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyWZ9ByZ4nD2Fll9piYXRvCXBaHar2s0zUTFWsS6REHbYjnnFMPP7IGpfM6pJRbUlriH03KMVyet6_frKWqew' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyV69NPMw8J0YjIPyUmS9u1UDRkgxROiUupPIjxhHHKMU2CJVZv5WWKFTbM05JatOuUAbeJ-shr4DMsf_d_hA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-90375104264447124912009-12-27T21:27:00.001-08:002009-12-27T21:38:23.381-08:00Christmas in Melaka<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhDIdmVknI/AAAAAAAAAmE/QtPLIQngVIc/s1600-h/PC240859.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhDIdmVknI/AAAAAAAAAmE/QtPLIQngVIc/s400/PC240859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155964203831922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhClEp2eeI/AAAAAAAAAl8/0Y4qI0dZTlw/s1600-h/PC230854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhClEp2eeI/AAAAAAAAAl8/0Y4qI0dZTlw/s400/PC230854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155356212263394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCkrqZlVI/AAAAAAAAAl0/S2GVIUPLTd4/s1600-h/PC230856.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCkrqZlVI/AAAAAAAAAl0/S2GVIUPLTd4/s400/PC230856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155349503677778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCkSMKl1I/AAAAAAAAAls/bKsxB4wtXxk/s1600-h/PC250863.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCkSMKl1I/AAAAAAAAAls/bKsxB4wtXxk/s400/PC250863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155342665979730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCj7cim0I/AAAAAAAAAlk/JC7IC9ILN3s/s1600-h/PC260864.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCj7cim0I/AAAAAAAAAlk/JC7IC9ILN3s/s400/PC260864.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155336560646978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCjd9k9RI/AAAAAAAAAlc/UqNxXWTqaK4/s1600-h/PC260866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhCjd9k9RI/AAAAAAAAAlc/UqNxXWTqaK4/s400/PC260866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420155328646149394" border="0" /></a>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-27042663416807149052009-12-27T21:20:00.001-08:002009-12-28T22:25:34.210-08:00Cameron Highlands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBfkXBNPI/AAAAAAAAAlU/_49ga53uyqY/s1600-h/PC200843.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBfkXBNPI/AAAAAAAAAlU/_49ga53uyqY/s400/PC200843.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420154162132366578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBfRvRS2I/AAAAAAAAAlM/Sf0-nJRGHSc/s1600-h/PC180836.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBfRvRS2I/AAAAAAAAAlM/Sf0-nJRGHSc/s400/PC180836.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420154157133810530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBe7zr0iI/AAAAAAAAAlE/PgHHOcIjVHQ/s1600-h/PC180832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBe7zr0iI/AAAAAAAAAlE/PgHHOcIjVHQ/s400/PC180832.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420154151246746146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBeR9Cx6I/AAAAAAAAAk8/U8HU0loi8TE/s1600-h/PC180827.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhBeR9Cx6I/AAAAAAAAAk8/U8HU0loi8TE/s400/PC180827.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420154140011710370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA1mMtAoI/AAAAAAAAAk0/2YajSZK9oeg/s1600-h/PC180826.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA1mMtAoI/AAAAAAAAAk0/2YajSZK9oeg/s400/PC180826.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420153441071465090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA1VeEFMI/AAAAAAAAAks/a0itPI92ges/s1600-h/PC180824.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA1VeEFMI/AAAAAAAAAks/a0itPI92ges/s400/PC180824.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420153436580877506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA0-qSdcI/AAAAAAAAAkk/hg6vZgqZ4Jo/s1600-h/PC170815.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA0-qSdcI/AAAAAAAAAkk/hg6vZgqZ4Jo/s400/PC170815.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420153430458136002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA0U07cfI/AAAAAAAAAkc/lXIpi9TEb6w/s1600-h/PC170814.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhA0U07cfI/AAAAAAAAAkc/lXIpi9TEb6w/s400/PC170814.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420153419228475890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhAz4leGKI/AAAAAAAAAkU/uOBskjhih40/s1600-h/PC150790.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzhAz4leGKI/AAAAAAAAAkU/uOBskjhih40/s400/PC150790.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420153411647445154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzQcE1IIUZ--WL_7XJnlnZZ7F2oR3dTbXcs_c9XY23czz35Fy9ZG4ecLZMs0Pd6egSbAPGglBWy9CxI3Uc2sg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I arrived in Cameron Highlands on the morning of Tuesday, December 15th. This turned out to be one of my favorite destinations, despite having quite the bed bug problem; apparently, going off the word of several other travellers, Father's Guesthouse was only one of several in town experiencing difficulties with the critters. My days in Cameron Highlands were mostly easy-going, spending most of my time reading, writing, watching movies in the lounge, and walking into town several times each day for a taste of the wonderful and inexpensive Indian cuisine that one finds all of Malaysia. I took a couple jungle hikes during my six days there, and also went on a day tour to see the Rafflesia Arnoldii flower, Orang Asli village, Boh tea plantation, and Mossy Forest. The flower is the largest on earth by weight and takes five years to open. Once open it stays so for only four or five days. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see it, and the path that led there was quite exciting as well. It had rained for perhaps 36 hours almost without pause before our arriving and the terrain was rather affected. I was fortunate to have landed with a tour operator that had done many years of competitive off-roading, boasting to have flipped over twenty vehicles, and who had extensive knowledge of the local flora and fauna, having operated the tour for 5 years after receiving his degrees in Ecology and Herpatology and volunteering with the tiger project in Taman Negara for some time.<br /><br />Photos: Mushrooms on forest floor, tea plantation, smoking tobacco grown by Orang Asli and rolled in mystery leaf, Rafflesia flower, winching Landrover through the muddy incline, shots from the guesthouse estate, and a video of Satya doing his Landrover magic.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-17721544625295163752009-12-27T21:06:00.001-08:002009-12-28T21:19:59.367-08:00Kuala Lampur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_wVYiq5I/AAAAAAAAAkM/masTbyk4ZUo/s1600-h/PC140779.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_wVYiq5I/AAAAAAAAAkM/masTbyk4ZUo/s400/PC140779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420152251146742674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_wC__1qI/AAAAAAAAAkE/_NIUDjO6qhA/s1600-h/PC140776.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_wC__1qI/AAAAAAAAAkE/_NIUDjO6qhA/s400/PC140776.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420152246211958434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_vobZgGI/AAAAAAAAAj8/myTie2fT9dU/s1600-h/PC130705.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_vobZgGI/AAAAAAAAAj8/myTie2fT9dU/s400/PC130705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420152239079129186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_u4FjRpI/AAAAAAAAAjs/hK9nMYVfwys/s1600-h/PC140764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg_u4FjRpI/AAAAAAAAAjs/hK9nMYVfwys/s400/PC140764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420152226102593170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-oPEWwcI/AAAAAAAAAjk/TzFtmfEcR8g/s1600-h/PC120704.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-oPEWwcI/AAAAAAAAAjk/TzFtmfEcR8g/s400/PC120704.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420151012500881858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzmHbLms0FI/AAAAAAAAAmM/jNAP3FIrHzc/s1600-h/Batu+Caves.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SzmHbLms0FI/AAAAAAAAAmM/jNAP3FIrHzc/s400/Batu+Caves.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420512527558430802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-nAI_Z7I/AAAAAAAAAjU/EzUzX8n5CKQ/s1600-h/PC120701.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-nAI_Z7I/AAAAAAAAAjU/EzUzX8n5CKQ/s400/PC120701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420150991313921970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-mVxWlEI/AAAAAAAAAjE/lwfq-ejh5ns/s1600-h/PC130755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg-mVxWlEI/AAAAAAAAAjE/lwfq-ejh5ns/s400/PC130755.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420150979940488258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9fdsnLFI/AAAAAAAAAi8/_ss6MKmOb30/s1600-h/PC130746.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9fdsnLFI/AAAAAAAAAi8/_ss6MKmOb30/s400/PC130746.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420149762297375826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9exHae9I/AAAAAAAAAi0/dDj7ftyiip0/s1600-h/PC130732.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9exHae9I/AAAAAAAAAi0/dDj7ftyiip0/s400/PC130732.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420149750330194898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9ec17TnI/AAAAAAAAAis/0zRNL33Pp98/s1600-h/PC130717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9ec17TnI/AAAAAAAAAis/0zRNL33Pp98/s400/PC130717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420149744888139378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9eI4bI9I/AAAAAAAAAik/o-c30W_a0kc/s1600-h/PC120697.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9eI4bI9I/AAAAAAAAAik/o-c30W_a0kc/s400/PC120697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420149739529905106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9dhforaI/AAAAAAAAAic/Ns6g-EYXkok/s1600-h/PC120696.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg9dhforaI/AAAAAAAAAic/Ns6g-EYXkok/s400/PC120696.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420149728956951970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I arrived in KL on Saturday, December 12th. Here I hooked up with Yee Guan Chew, friend of Jasmine, and another one of the travellers that I met from the Saigon - Phnom Penh bus. My first two days in KL were a blur of restaurants, malls, mosques, temples, and parks. Yee Guan drove me in her little red car all over and around the city with her friends Sin and Kim. At the end of the first day she quized me on what I had seen and I was unfortunately unable to give many answers. It wasn't until I had a chance sit down and update my journal that I was able to collect my thoughts and memories on what had just happened. My third day in KL I had to myself while Yee Guan was busy at work. It was a less eventful day, but with the many hours of walking over blistering sidewalks and streets, it was no less a drain on my mind and body.<br /><br />KL was a dizzying array of freeways, highway, bridges, meandering and merging roads, and a street layout that perplexed me. It stands out in my mind as the only city I have yet encountered where I rarely knew exactly where I was or even which direction I might be facing, despite having massive skyscrapers like KL Tower and the KLCC Towers to guide me. I was generally lost, but usually managed to find my way to where ever I wanted to go. KL seemed to me the first truly developed, well designed, relatively clean, and affluent city I have encountered with the exception of Pattaya in Thailand. The architecture of the city was marked by its strong Islamic influence. The geometric stylings of the mosque can be seen everywhere from government building, to train stations, to parking garages; the imagery is practically inescapable.<br /><br />Photos: KL Tower (Seattle Space Needle Ripoff), built in 1996 during a heavy rain, Dim Sum with the girls, Hibiscus (Malaysian national flower), KLCC Towers at night, the entrance to Batu Caves Hindu temple, various mosques, and a cityscape photo of KL.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-87870825184217665792009-12-27T19:24:00.001-08:002009-12-28T20:34:36.095-08:00Penang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8v9YGQqI/AAAAAAAAAiU/6BpjHUMr0xk/s1600-h/Picture+091.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8v9YGQqI/AAAAAAAAAiU/6BpjHUMr0xk/s400/Picture+091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420148946167546530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8Vmh4lEI/AAAAAAAAAiM/SdSjkeGcwI8/s1600-h/Picture+080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8Vmh4lEI/AAAAAAAAAiM/SdSjkeGcwI8/s400/Picture+080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420148493357978690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8VMc9nFI/AAAAAAAAAiE/hluI9_AiETE/s1600-h/Picture+070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8VMc9nFI/AAAAAAAAAiE/hluI9_AiETE/s400/Picture+070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420148486358015058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8Ul58FtI/AAAAAAAAAh8/zRiKI6vBrow/s1600-h/Picture+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8Ul58FtI/AAAAAAAAAh8/zRiKI6vBrow/s400/Picture+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420148476010567378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg8UVpUBxI/AAAAAAAAAh0/SLg6H1w4Fjk/s1600-h/Picture+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6nGg_xmI/AAAAAAAAAg8/VlOM01j7_0Y/s400/PC100663.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420146594978711138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6m1xrHjI/AAAAAAAAAg0/oxdIIiadazM/s1600-h/PC100652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6m1xrHjI/AAAAAAAAAg0/oxdIIiadazM/s400/PC100652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420146590485257778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6mmMCVrI/AAAAAAAAAgs/sDM_aVbBNyY/s1600-h/PC100646.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6mmMCVrI/AAAAAAAAAgs/sDM_aVbBNyY/s400/PC100646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420146586300864178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6mIzFfRI/AAAAAAAAAgk/LkDKJXUv7hc/s1600-h/PC090630.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6mIzFfRI/AAAAAAAAAgk/LkDKJXUv7hc/s400/PC090630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420146578411584786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6lvx4o5I/AAAAAAAAAgc/p8_hTkJsJBQ/s1600-h/PC090640.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg6lvx4o5I/AAAAAAAAAgc/p8_hTkJsJBQ/s400/PC090640.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420146571695661970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5nCR_zgI/AAAAAAAAAgU/VUdWq7pjy20/s1600-h/PC090637.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5nCR_zgI/AAAAAAAAAgU/VUdWq7pjy20/s400/PC090637.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420145494330428930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5mvfaunI/AAAAAAAAAgM/FrzfiopERn4/s1600-h/PC090632.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5mvfaunI/AAAAAAAAAgM/FrzfiopERn4/s400/PC090632.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420145489286445682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5mSOmAJI/AAAAAAAAAgE/7gSNqRJuJmo/s1600-h/PC090627.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5mSOmAJI/AAAAAAAAAgE/7gSNqRJuJmo/s400/PC090627.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420145481431253138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5l1RbjAI/AAAAAAAAAf8/welfkhiGDfg/s1600-h/PC090636.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5l1RbjAI/AAAAAAAAAf8/welfkhiGDfg/s400/PC090636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420145473658522626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5lUpNQ1I/AAAAAAAAAf0/8HD0AqmSB6s/s1600-h/PC090618.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Szg5lUpNQ1I/AAAAAAAAAf0/8HD0AqmSB6s/s400/PC090618.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420145464899879762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I arrived on the Malaysian island of Penang on the 8th of December. Here I hooked up with Jasmine Sau, whom I first met on my Bus from Saigon, Vietnam to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and with whom I spent five days thereafter. I crashed on her floor and spent what little free time she had with her, during which she took me to various local restaurants, whisked me around on her motorbike, and took me out with one of her friends to see temples, markets, and bar scenes.<br /><br />Penang was my first look into the rich mix of cultures that is Malaysia. In addition to the native Muslim Malay population, there is also a strong mix of Hindu Indians and Buddhist Chinese. The population seems to get along remarkably well despite their very blatant seperations. With very few exceptions that I observed, they stay within their cultural bounds. That is to say that you will rarely see different ethnicities going out together. I don't believe I ever saw members of differing ethnicities that were intimately involved. The Chinese population will be seen together speaking Mandarin, or Hokkien, or Cantonese. The Malay will be seen speaking Malaysian. The Indians will be seen speaking Tamil. The foods have been kept equally well preserved, although there appears to be some mixing of tastes and dishes. Interestingly you will actually see a great diversity of peoples eating at most food establishments.<br /><br />The first images here are of Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. The greenspace outside the temple contains statuary of the various animals in the Chinese zodiac, and you will observe me kissing the rabbit that represents my birthyear, 1987. The remaining photos include me contemplating my dark lust for Indian food, images from the ferry between Penang and the peninsular mainland, snake temple, Penang's national park (including Monkey Beach and Muka Head Lighthouse), and also places of worship for the Muslim, Hindu, Taoist, and Buddhist population.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-48422215653979887992009-12-09T05:15:00.000-08:002009-12-09T05:34:56.293-08:00Back in Bangkok or "Fun with Manikins"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-luicOM_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/wdKSUC8STaU/s1600-h/PC060604.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 185px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-luicOM_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/wdKSUC8STaU/s400/PC060604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413227496060367858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-luCrgNkI/AAAAAAAAAfk/O3qxO330xeI/s1600-h/PC060601.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 165px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-luCrgNkI/AAAAAAAAAfk/O3qxO330xeI/s400/PC060601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413227487534528066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lBPS7YKI/AAAAAAAAAfc/djv6o8oz-m0/s1600-h/PC060599.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lBPS7YKI/AAAAAAAAAfc/djv6o8oz-m0/s400/PC060599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413226717826998434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lAhXIzJI/AAAAAAAAAfU/xjyrLTOKKaA/s1600-h/PC060598.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 192px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lAhXIzJI/AAAAAAAAAfU/xjyrLTOKKaA/s400/PC060598.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413226705496624274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lAKzLN9I/AAAAAAAAAfM/xFSe7aMc5ek/s1600-h/PC060589.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 192px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-lAKzLN9I/AAAAAAAAAfM/xFSe7aMc5ek/s400/PC060589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413226699440207826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-k_qGOfoI/AAAAAAAAAfE/zZjDrlUztL4/s1600-h/PC060587.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 194px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-k_qGOfoI/AAAAAAAAAfE/zZjDrlUztL4/s400/PC060587.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413226690661744258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-k_K3jNrI/AAAAAAAAAe8/snpuo-42Dgw/s1600-h/PC060582.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 190px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-k_K3jNrI/AAAAAAAAAe8/snpuo-42Dgw/s400/PC060582.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413226682278688434" border="0" /></a>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-38860057165119018982009-12-09T04:25:00.000-08:002009-12-09T05:23:26.359-08:00Ayutthaya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-jb6RdGVI/AAAAAAAAAe0/0k1RgkiecHI/s1600-h/PC050574.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-jb6RdGVI/AAAAAAAAAe0/0k1RgkiecHI/s400/PC050574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224977016887634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-jbUOVRNI/AAAAAAAAAes/xO2D5pzQFL8/s1600-h/PC040569.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-jbUOVRNI/AAAAAAAAAes/xO2D5pzQFL8/s400/PC040569.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224966803244242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i4WXIXmI/AAAAAAAAAek/GX4a1BWAenY/s1600-h/PC040560.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i4WXIXmI/AAAAAAAAAek/GX4a1BWAenY/s400/PC040560.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224366081597026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i392AwVI/AAAAAAAAAec/7mDnCTNFj2A/s1600-h/PC040543.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i392AwVI/AAAAAAAAAec/7mDnCTNFj2A/s400/PC040543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224359500235090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i3X8DEUI/AAAAAAAAAeU/agVGiiWf8GM/s1600-h/PC040540.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i3X8DEUI/AAAAAAAAAeU/agVGiiWf8GM/s400/PC040540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224349325005122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i25WnYHI/AAAAAAAAAeM/K2v1IC7yH8o/s1600-h/PC040539.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i25WnYHI/AAAAAAAAAeM/K2v1IC7yH8o/s400/PC040539.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224341114937458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i2fRljUI/AAAAAAAAAeE/8RK-sXdIsCM/s1600-h/PC040533.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-i2fRljUI/AAAAAAAAAeE/8RK-sXdIsCM/s400/PC040533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413224334114524482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After several days back at the On Nut Guesthouse in Bangkok, I decided to make a quick trip to Ayutthaya, 76 km to the North. This is the old capitol of Thailand. Taking advantage of the rivers that encircle this piece of land, essentially making it into an island, the old capitol was established. Its use, however, was discontinued when the Burmese finally penetrated its natural defenses, destroying much of the original city. I hit up the free food stalls that spanned a whole city block and consisted of perhaps more than three dozen "vendors." It was all part of the celebrations for the kings birthday the following day. On December 5th, the day of his birthday, I went back to the food area only to find all the freebies reserved for the local monks. Some of the elder monks even had helpers that carried a garbage bag for dumping the free food into when their pots got too full.<br /><br />With tears in my eyes I decided to make way back to Bangkok, hoping I might find better festivities there. Ultimately I got drunk with good friends by my side and skipped the party and fireworks at Lumphini Park, but it was the right decision and I had a night that couldn't be beat.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-32244666539732228982009-12-08T21:17:00.000-08:002009-12-28T21:28:18.266-08:00Pattaya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dQRONaKI/AAAAAAAAAd8/dMUwbd-s-D8/s1600-h/PB290530.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dQRONaKI/AAAAAAAAAd8/dMUwbd-s-D8/s400/PB290530.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413218179949095074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dP86FNII/AAAAAAAAAd0/CgR3zhiPhVU/s1600-h/PB290524.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dP86FNII/AAAAAAAAAd0/CgR3zhiPhVU/s400/PB290524.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413218174495962242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dPvzWsbI/AAAAAAAAAds/zFZU9afN2go/s1600-h/PB290523.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-dPvzWsbI/AAAAAAAAAds/zFZU9afN2go/s400/PB290523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413218170978087346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cc_DX0eI/AAAAAAAAAdk/JjGvMpui87I/s1600-h/PB290520.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cc_DX0eI/AAAAAAAAAdk/JjGvMpui87I/s400/PB290520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413217298898473442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-ccaspdvI/AAAAAAAAAdc/qye6K13IxkQ/s1600-h/PB290519.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-ccaspdvI/AAAAAAAAAdc/qye6K13IxkQ/s400/PB290519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413217289139484402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cb9reDeI/AAAAAAAAAdU/JOtKqbncwUA/s1600-h/PB290517.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cb9reDeI/AAAAAAAAAdU/JOtKqbncwUA/s400/PB290517.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413217281349914082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cblY_nrI/AAAAAAAAAdM/c5c6q-Qeez0/s1600-h/PB290514.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cblY_nrI/AAAAAAAAAdM/c5c6q-Qeez0/s400/PB290514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413217274829971122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cbCj4IOI/AAAAAAAAAdE/ANiXkJl_CY8/s1600-h/PB280511.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-cbCj4IOI/AAAAAAAAAdE/ANiXkJl_CY8/s400/PB280511.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413217265480376546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I arrived in Pattaya on Saturday, November 28th. Pattaya is like no other place on earth; I am convinced. You have to go to understand, but I will try to do it what little justice I can. Here is a city where old men from all around the world (though predominantly German and Russian, it seemed) come to find long-term and short-term sugar mamas. Here, some of the most attractive girls and lady boys in Asia make their living from the massive sex tourism industry. I read somewhere that these commercial sex workers bring in twice as much money as the government there every year. I stayed for two nights and then left before I did anything stupid or came out of my drunkenness to find all my money spent.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-47429477652633682952009-12-08T20:57:00.000-08:002009-12-28T21:25:32.870-08:00Koh Chang (fishing village)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z2NRp45I/AAAAAAAAAc8/iDodEjX_ycE/s1600-h/PB270504.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z2NRp45I/AAAAAAAAAc8/iDodEjX_ycE/s400/PB270504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413214433678320530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z1jv24GI/AAAAAAAAAc0/bpFM2u5NJp0/s1600-h/PB270499.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z1jv24GI/AAAAAAAAAc0/bpFM2u5NJp0/s400/PB270499.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413214422530711650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z0wvy9fI/AAAAAAAAAcs/uX2scUevXxQ/s1600-h/PB270498.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z0wvy9fI/AAAAAAAAAcs/uX2scUevXxQ/s400/PB270498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413214408840246770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z0u7JkWI/AAAAAAAAAck/zRsklwIYqCE/s1600-h/PB270496.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-Z0u7JkWI/AAAAAAAAAck/zRsklwIYqCE/s400/PB270496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413214408350994786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YFOVtgzI/AAAAAAAAAcc/9nWrW4ldDTA/s1600-h/PB260492.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YFOVtgzI/AAAAAAAAAcc/9nWrW4ldDTA/s400/PB260492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413212492638552882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YEtHuwAI/AAAAAAAAAcU/j4UwUI_vzfc/s1600-h/PB250489.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YEtHuwAI/AAAAAAAAAcU/j4UwUI_vzfc/s400/PB250489.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413212483721543682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YEQeAgVI/AAAAAAAAAcM/C1VmrHt17ww/s1600-h/PB250487.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YEQeAgVI/AAAAAAAAAcM/C1VmrHt17ww/s400/PB250487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413212476030353746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YDyxaEKI/AAAAAAAAAcE/RZjT2DlP1-c/s1600-h/PB250483.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YDyxaEKI/AAAAAAAAAcE/RZjT2DlP1-c/s400/PB250483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413212468058656930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YDTJQyRI/AAAAAAAAAb8/MnK0RAqL7zM/s1600-h/PB250480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx-YDTJQyRI/AAAAAAAAAb8/MnK0RAqL7zM/s400/PB250480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413212459568777490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I arrived in Koh Chang on Wednesday, November 25. I did little exploring here. It is a gigantic island, and while I did hitch a ride to the mangrove forest, I mostly stuck around the fishing village where I did my first "homestay". I would have missed it if not for the Thai couple who gave me a ride 20 km from the ferry pier to the village and spotted the sign (written in Thai). None of the family spoke any English except for the son, Be, who spoke only a limited broken English. I helped in making support beams for a dock and driving them into the muck below the waters surface. Truthfully it may have been the beginnings of a dock or a hut; language barriers prevented any successful communication of exactly what was being constructed. I also went out in the bay, which measured around 1.5 km in radius, to the only structured on the water. It was a raft constructed by the Be and on it was a hut that he built as well. We smoked briefly in the hut, and proceeded to collect mussels attached to the raft and other ropes strung out through the bay.<br /><br />This was all a wonderful experience, and very rewarding. Each meal consisted of around six courses, real Thai cuisine comprised mostly of seafood reaped from the ocean only earlier in the day or sometimes the day before; Crabs, prawn, mussels, fish, squid... pork stuffed squid... Mmm.. These were the tastiest three days of my travels to be sure.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-45824835655633206892009-12-08T20:49:00.001-08:002009-12-08T21:41:52.723-08:00Battambang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84Mdi3rAI/AAAAAAAAAb0/u_3A9pTANr4/s1600-h/PB220471.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84Mdi3rAI/AAAAAAAAAb0/u_3A9pTANr4/s400/PB220471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413107063863094274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84LyAOVwI/AAAAAAAAAbs/n84b6l5dX_o/s1600-h/PB220464.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84LyAOVwI/AAAAAAAAAbs/n84b6l5dX_o/s400/PB220464.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413107052175054594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84LXW497I/AAAAAAAAAbk/faHm9kkVCvo/s1600-h/PB220462.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx84LXW497I/AAAAAAAAAbk/faHm9kkVCvo/s400/PB220462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413107045022365618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x5Dh9dRI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/IYU9utqcMno/s1600-h/PB220461.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x5Dh9dRI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/IYU9utqcMno/s400/PB220461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413100133392676114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x4re4-BI/AAAAAAAAAZs/p0c1tR9twLE/s1600-h/PB220459.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x4re4-BI/AAAAAAAAAZs/p0c1tR9twLE/s400/PB220459.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413100126937348114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x4BszpaI/AAAAAAAAAZk/Gp-Bto2jsAQ/s1600-h/PB220457.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x4BszpaI/AAAAAAAAAZk/Gp-Bto2jsAQ/s400/PB220457.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413100115721430434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x31TMmGI/AAAAAAAAAZc/nHVx9VTntMM/s1600-h/PB220456.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x31TMmGI/AAAAAAAAAZc/nHVx9VTntMM/s400/PB220456.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413100112392788066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x3UjgSQI/AAAAAAAAAZU/CWUt92yZfWM/s1600-h/PB220452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8x3UjgSQI/AAAAAAAAAZU/CWUt92yZfWM/s400/PB220452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413100103602817282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The pictures here show the road to the Killing Cave, a view from the cave, a shrine containing the remains of the victims, children flying a kite from a frighteningly high cliff-side (I made my way back from the edge as quickly as I could), this and that, and also a statue of the king with his staff who is said in legend to have thrown it to the horizon, where the ground upon which it landed became the city of Battambang, meaning lost staff.<br /><br />This was a relatively boring visit. I spent 3 days, and it was probably 2 days too many. I was glad to have seen the "Killing Caves" where the Khmer Rouge slaughtered, beat, and hurled their victims into the chasm of the cave. I was glad to see the shrines and temples built upon these grounds. The ancient ruins were quite uninteresting though, having just come from Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-65870446129610212342009-11-20T00:13:00.001-08:002009-12-08T21:50:29.439-08:00Siem Reap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81iVny9_I/AAAAAAAAAbc/l6tX3z2GSLU/s1600-h/PB200450.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81iVny9_I/AAAAAAAAAbc/l6tX3z2GSLU/s400/PB200450.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413104141158512626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81h7ZyxYI/AAAAAAAAAbU/Vu8uTVWRzqE/s1600-h/PB200441.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81h7ZyxYI/AAAAAAAAAbU/Vu8uTVWRzqE/s400/PB200441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413104134120457602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81hX-cY0I/AAAAAAAAAbM/25mc6V_jUbI/s1600-h/PB180435.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx81hX-cY0I/AAAAAAAAAbM/25mc6V_jUbI/s400/PB180435.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413104124610503490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80kstvyjI/AAAAAAAAAbE/hT_LZBPDTbg/s1600-h/PB170429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80kstvyjI/AAAAAAAAAbE/hT_LZBPDTbg/s400/PB170429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413103082205596210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80j72y5pI/AAAAAAAAAa8/T-PbA1C5vK0/s1600-h/PB170428.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80j72y5pI/AAAAAAAAAa8/T-PbA1C5vK0/s400/PB170428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413103069090211474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80jdK1e1I/AAAAAAAAAa0/D5Ljp9NXN0k/s1600-h/PB170425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80jdK1e1I/AAAAAAAAAa0/D5Ljp9NXN0k/s400/PB170425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413103060852767570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80izr1NVI/AAAAAAAAAas/7-P2EKKkaOQ/s1600-h/PB170418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80izr1NVI/AAAAAAAAAas/7-P2EKKkaOQ/s400/PB170418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413103049716872530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80iXTrhPI/AAAAAAAAAak/EX4xYg6HmpA/s1600-h/PB170416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx80iXTrhPI/AAAAAAAAAak/EX4xYg6HmpA/s400/PB170416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413103042099381490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zP-TAQBI/AAAAAAAAAac/YXBLpN9UM1M/s1600-h/PB170415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zP-TAQBI/AAAAAAAAAac/YXBLpN9UM1M/s400/PB170415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413101626636386322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zPRipE7I/AAAAAAAAAaU/4cVTJ2j-wbc/s1600-h/PB170408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zPRipE7I/AAAAAAAAAaU/4cVTJ2j-wbc/s400/PB170408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413101614622380978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zOYpO1hI/AAAAAAAAAaM/Ape_WjdN_bo/s1600-h/PB160390.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zOYpO1hI/AAAAAAAAAaM/Ape_WjdN_bo/s400/PB160390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413101599349200402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zON_IV5I/AAAAAAAAAaE/_iUSkQ7KkKk/s1600-h/PB160385.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zON_IV5I/AAAAAAAAAaE/_iUSkQ7KkKk/s400/PB160385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413101596488259474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zNv-vVHI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/RYnBVNVp87A/s1600-h/PB160377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/Sx8zNv-vVHI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/RYnBVNVp87A/s400/PB160377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413101588433556594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaE__n0IxI/AAAAAAAAAXk/dvHMU2UJNjg/s1600/PB160365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaE__n0IxI/AAAAAAAAAXk/dvHMU2UJNjg/s400/PB160365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406154637649912594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaE_TEenxI/AAAAAAAAAXc/0GplPXmDvfo/s1600/PB160360.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaE_TEenxI/AAAAAAAAAXc/0GplPXmDvfo/s400/PB160360.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406154625690541842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaCFSVGn4I/AAAAAAAAAXU/HGaupSnlEg0/s1600/PB160362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaCFSVGn4I/AAAAAAAAAXU/HGaupSnlEg0/s400/PB160362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406151430036168578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaAm_zOrjI/AAAAAAAAAXM/3y72gegUd7A/s1600/PB160356.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaAm_zOrjI/AAAAAAAAAXM/3y72gegUd7A/s400/PB160356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406149810154548786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaAmvcxm0I/AAAAAAAAAXE/oJuEBK6lK4Y/s1600/PB160352.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwaAmvcxm0I/AAAAAAAAAXE/oJuEBK6lK4Y/s400/PB160352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406149805765401410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ95e9fU4I/AAAAAAAAAW8/tUEcNSy0ejo/s1600/PB160337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ95e9fU4I/AAAAAAAAAW8/tUEcNSy0ejo/s400/PB160337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406146829221843842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyph_8d_0Au7P7pcWNZ3IRyRwrw2YNcbL0_iFpeS-R27BnNx2PaHXvm4Mwb341HoN9-MjkAVZIdlkOrzo9aUg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />Most of the pictures are self explanatory -- Angkor ruins and more Angkor ruins. Also is a video of the Cambodian children that encircle their touristy victims at the ruins, pedaling their wares. There is a picture of pigs heads at the central market in town, several stacks of krama (traditional Cambodian scarves), and a weaves demonstrating how krama are made.<br /><br />The six of us, Jimmy, Salvador, Jane, Jasmine, and YeeGuan arrived in Siem Reap at night. We found a dorm for $1/night that amounted to an open-air shack with mattresses, pillows, and mozzie nets, but really isn't that all you need? We arranged to be picked up at 5:00 am the next morning to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. We went to the rooftop bar which was really chill. Great tunes, good ambiance, and the aroma of pot filling the air. We put down a few beers and passed out maybe around 1:00 am.<br /><br />Sunrise to sunset, we wondered ancient ruins and temples. The sun was intense, I would say unbearable except that we did bear it. It was absolutely taxing on my body and mind, but somehow we did manage to go out drinking that night. I passed out "early" around 2:00 am; others went to sleep at 3:00. We took it easy, starting at 9:00 am the next day, and it was quite pleasant. I took far too many photos of the temples, and remarkeably those posted are only a fraction of them. That night we hit the booze hard, went to a club, and ended the night around 4:00 am when Salvador was accused of stealing someones drinking, punched in the face (we deduced by his swollen lip), and dragged out by two security guards.<br /><br />We spent one more day here, seeing the city and drinking only a couple beers each. On Thursday the girls left for Malaysia, Jimmy and Salvador left for Bangkok, and I stayed behind to chill in Siem Reap till Saturday.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-67269835558989392082009-11-19T23:07:00.000-08:002009-11-20T03:25:17.997-08:00Phnom Penh or "Genocide in 25 Hours"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ74naDAHI/AAAAAAAAAW0/3-XIbwRRCGg/s1600/PB150322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ74naDAHI/AAAAAAAAAW0/3-XIbwRRCGg/s400/PB150322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406144615285981298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6zSeeABI/AAAAAAAAAWs/zobdt80Dqxc/s1600/PB150316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6zSeeABI/AAAAAAAAAWs/zobdt80Dqxc/s400/PB150316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406143424256409618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6yzmcWoI/AAAAAAAAAWk/rg0HLCWTMNU/s1600/PB140309.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6yzmcWoI/AAAAAAAAAWk/rg0HLCWTMNU/s400/PB140309.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406143415968356994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6yUeEklI/AAAAAAAAAWc/wVmIzNUWois/s1600/PB140307.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZ6yUeEklI/AAAAAAAAAWc/wVmIzNUWois/s400/PB140307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406143407611744850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUe9iN2fI/AAAAAAAAAWU/xypFuhYSAR4/s1600/PB140305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUe9iN2fI/AAAAAAAAAWU/xypFuhYSAR4/s400/PB140305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406101293595744754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUeYgxIOI/AAAAAAAAAWM/jL6o73BZOBs/s1600/PB140310.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUeYgxIOI/AAAAAAAAAWM/jL6o73BZOBs/s400/PB140310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406101283657556194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUd1ZdbfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/EKa8QRbE3MQ/s1600/PB140300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZUd1ZdbfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/EKa8QRbE3MQ/s400/PB140300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406101274231664114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Cambodia was a huge shock. Soon after crossing the border, our bus stopped at a market next to the river we would ferry over shortly. Here were girls and woman in dirty clothes carrying baskets of everything from fish to friend insects in wicker baskets atop their heads, streets littered with piles of plastic garbage and food scraps, cattle walking the streets and sidewalks, naked toddlers running about with no supervision, and children banging on our bus windows and door yelling and begging for money.<br /><br />Entering Phnom Penh the traffic was thick and the air putrid with pollution from whatever dirty fuels they burned. The streets and buildings here were almost as bad as the city by the river where we had stopped earlier on. When I disembarked along with the Englishmen and the Spaniard I met on the bus, I found that the tuk tuk drivers were far more insistant than elsewhere in SE Asia, and appeared more gruff as well. Later we would admit to having been scared by what we saw on our initial entry into Cambodia. As Salvador said, "I'm wouldn't want to go out here alone." We stuck together along with two Chinese-Malaysian girls and one Chinese girl that we met. We arrived at 1:00 pm and by 6:00 we had seen the most prominent "killing fields" in Cambodia, the S-21 sight, and found our way to a nice dorm. We drank that night, I ate grilled frog, bought some juicier crickets than I had previously had, and ate a snake on a stick. The next day we visited the S-21 prison (seperate from the killing fields), and the history museum where many Angkor relics are housed. By 2:00 that afternoon we were gone.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-14659864090377987842009-11-19T22:43:00.000-08:002009-11-20T00:18:54.013-08:00Saigon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZQbqvaBgI/AAAAAAAAAV8/sl-y_FnERFw/s1600/PB130299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZQbqvaBgI/AAAAAAAAAV8/sl-y_FnERFw/s400/PB130299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406096838964676098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZPAJYC99I/AAAAAAAAAV0/rBM6J2ZWljA/s1600/PB130288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZPAJYC99I/AAAAAAAAAV0/rBM6J2ZWljA/s400/PB130288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406095266640230354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZO_uNf-HI/AAAAAAAAAVs/or5j7MVHXAY/s1600/PB130279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZO_uNf-HI/AAAAAAAAAVs/or5j7MVHXAY/s400/PB130279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406095259348236402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZO_OY-Q-I/AAAAAAAAAVk/lPQ1iflEMO0/s1600/PB120274.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZO_OY-Q-I/AAAAAAAAAVk/lPQ1iflEMO0/s400/PB120274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406095250806424546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another quickie, I spent 2 days in Saigon. On the first I saw the War Remnants Museum, more aptly known as the The Museum of American War Crimes. This a gruesome and truly sobering museum which houses many of the weapons used during the war. It displays countless photographs of war atrocities (mostly taken by U.S. Associated Press), agent orange victims, napalm victims, phosphourus bomb victims. On the second floor were explanations for the imperialism of western forces from the time of French colonists up to the ending days of American involvement. It quotes various politicians and government documents detailing the reasons for the war as they relate to resource acquisition and to some extent the prevention of the "domino effect," which theorized that as one country fell to communism, so would neighboring countries until the whole of the democratic and freeworld fell. On the top floor of the museum were news article, photos, and descriptions or the massive protests taking place all over the world to end the gruesome war and grant Vietnam its independence. The last and possibly most sickening portion of the museum, located outside, was a replica of one of the American Prisoners for detention, interigation, and torture of suspected VC. It contained several of the "tiger cages" used as punishment, and described the tortures and disfigurements used.<br /><br />The following day I visited the Cu Chi tunnels. The guide was involved in the war. He fled the country after his girlfriend and sister were both killed by American bombs. Ironically he fled to America and joined the military. He was careful to mention often that he never killed anyone, but has still never fully forgiven himself for being involved in the war effort. Upon returning to Vietnam he was placed in a communist "re-education camp," where he was made to clear landmines and subjected to the usual brainwashing. While in this prison his mother died and the rest of his family took him for dead and left the country. He has since located them.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-91971501000944554562009-11-19T22:40:00.000-08:002009-11-19T23:54:57.064-08:00Mui Ne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKLtVJPHI/AAAAAAAAAVc/j4izsWM9QZk/s1600/PB110267.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKLtVJPHI/AAAAAAAAAVc/j4izsWM9QZk/s400/PB110267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406089967712156786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKLBiINEI/AAAAAAAAAVU/B-dksMoVMEo/s1600/PB110266.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKLBiINEI/AAAAAAAAAVU/B-dksMoVMEo/s400/PB110266.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406089955955455042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKKmtryzI/AAAAAAAAAVM/guBaG7qBqNQ/s1600/PB110260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZKKmtryzI/AAAAAAAAAVM/guBaG7qBqNQ/s400/PB110260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406089948756167474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGNGMGw5I/AAAAAAAAAVE/q595aSgDJFE/s1600/PB110256.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGNGMGw5I/AAAAAAAAAVE/q595aSgDJFE/s400/PB110256.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406085593518490514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGMkzsFyI/AAAAAAAAAU8/tI3sWIqqjWQ/s1600/PB110250.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGMkzsFyI/AAAAAAAAAU8/tI3sWIqqjWQ/s400/PB110250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406085584557709090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGMaZ41MI/AAAAAAAAAU0/nm9EI_vMtPU/s1600/PB100238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZGMaZ41MI/AAAAAAAAAU0/nm9EI_vMtPU/s400/PB100238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406085581765137602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mui Ne was another 2 day stop. The first was spent with a bit of walking, a bit of bobbing around in the ocean, and a bit of drinking and pool at the bar. The next day I spent motorbiking to the sand dunes, Red Canyon, and the Fairy Stream. It was great fun and very pleasant despite the wretchedly hot weather.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-61947843718408146082009-11-19T21:57:00.000-08:002009-11-19T23:17:10.579-08:00Nha Trang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCK528H8I/AAAAAAAAAUs/orC2P4zqMa4/s1600/PB080235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCK528H8I/AAAAAAAAAUs/orC2P4zqMa4/s400/PB080235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406081157802237890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCKT8JkUI/AAAAAAAAAUk/zBsk16QhBtg/s1600/PB080225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCKT8JkUI/AAAAAAAAAUk/zBsk16QhBtg/s400/PB080225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406081147623543106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCJ0CbWOI/AAAAAAAAAUc/c0jFmY3ng8E/s1600/PB080220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwZCJ0CbWOI/AAAAAAAAAUc/c0jFmY3ng8E/s400/PB080220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406081139059939554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Nha Trang was surprisingly clean for a large city. I arrived very early in the morning, shortly after sunrise and the ocean looked beautiful. This is the first tropical beach I have seen. After checking into a hotel, my most expensive accomodation yet coming in at $8, I ventured out for breakfast, a sandwich that I took to the beach to eat. There I saw throngs of soldiers and university students hauling away debris left from the typhoon and heaving it into large piles. I approached to join in, although for all the hundreds of people cleaning there was nerie a westerner to be seen. Some university students took to me and told me they were actually just finishing, but I could come to the cafe with them and get some coffee. It turned out they were studying to be tour guides, and they agreed to drive me around on their motorbikes for the day. One in particular spoke very good English, knew quite a bit about the sights around town, and was very charismatic. The rest tagged along and enjoyed the adventure having never taken an actual "tourist" about the town before.<br /><br />The next was making to be significantly less interesting when, late in the afternoon, I was picked up by a man on a motorbike with a girl her claimed to be his neice. We went back to his place and I ate with "the family." It consisted of about 6 local dishes and was all very good. Soon, a man took me to a room with a table set out for playing cards and taught me how one might cheat with the dealer at blackjack. It was a very long scam and I originally wrote out about a page of text to describe it, but alas it was just too much. Suffice it to say that involved convincing the victim that he would win... I think it was $30,400 split 2 ways between him and the dealer if the victim could only come up with the $400 that the dealer could not borrow from a friend. It involved tricky deckwork, and I am still not sure how he managed to deal me exactly 21, as I saw him shuffle the cards well. Also I am not sure where the hell they came up with $30,000 cash in $100 bills that looked perfectly legitimate. I told him that I could only withdraw a very small amount of money from the bank per week, which of course was a lie. He asked how much I did have. I pulled out a wad of cash, all sorted from large notes to small, and it amounted to $12, or about 220,000 Dong. The rest of my cash, amounting to around $150 was in a seperate pocket of my wallet that he would not have seen. I said that I had no part in this, as he was playing with his money, and I would not contribute anything to the pot. He told me he would do what he could and take me back to my hotel in the meanwhile, picking me up when he had gathered the money. The driver never returned. It was likely one of the most interesting I have had on this trip so far and I was glad to have participated and then got away unscathed.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-57058682966538572962009-11-19T20:49:00.000-08:002009-12-28T22:06:16.919-08:00Hoi An<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY95o_l2XI/AAAAAAAAAUU/OkAnaRibcXM/s1600/PB050212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY95o_l2XI/AAAAAAAAAUU/OkAnaRibcXM/s400/PB050212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406076463170836850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY7n5CftvI/AAAAAAAAAUM/tC5Rxefy9FQ/s1600/PB050209.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY7n5CftvI/AAAAAAAAAUM/tC5Rxefy9FQ/s400/PB050209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406073959217084146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY7nT_PRMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/HOQ9Jss-OMY/s1600/PB050207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY7nT_PRMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/HOQ9Jss-OMY/s400/PB050207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406073949271311554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY5QLilp5I/AAAAAAAAAT8/5HotgdLPMwg/s1600/PB050203.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY5QLilp5I/AAAAAAAAAT8/5HotgdLPMwg/s400/PB050203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406071352843413394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY2v8kEECI/AAAAAAAAAT0/IkYoeXD-Xxg/s1600/PB050200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY2v8kEECI/AAAAAAAAAT0/IkYoeXD-Xxg/s400/PB050200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406068600043999266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY1ASL839I/AAAAAAAAATs/u0bfnb5Ono8/s1600/PB050197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwY1ASL839I/AAAAAAAAATs/u0bfnb5Ono8/s400/PB050197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406066681703096274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYzMZ6M4AI/AAAAAAAAATk/CUt53RV5wJM/s1600/PB050191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYzMZ6M4AI/AAAAAAAAATk/CUt53RV5wJM/s400/PB050191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406064690911305730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYxnTSIbQI/AAAAAAAAATc/Ac11q6TQPZc/s1600/PB050173.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYxnTSIbQI/AAAAAAAAATc/Ac11q6TQPZc/s400/PB050173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406062953965841666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYulh46frI/AAAAAAAAATU/CKG73FQa_K4/s1600/PB040165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SwYulh46frI/AAAAAAAAATU/CKG73FQa_K4/s400/PB040165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406059624991981234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Buses from Hue to Hoi An shut down for a day, but when they opened I got on board and followed the tail end of the typhoon, seeing giant, towering cargo ships beached perhaps only 10 meters from the road; It was an awe-inspiring sight to be sure. Along the way I befriended a Swedish couple, and sticking together along with two Danish girls I met at my Hue hostel, we booked our rooms at a cheap hotel with a pool. Six dollars for a 3 bed dorm in a hotel with a pool and free alcholic smoothies seemed reasonable enough. I spent several days here doing the typical Hoi An stuff. I visited several museums, an old trading house, the Japanese Covered Bridge, saw a traditional music performance which embodies all the same Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese fusion as the rest of this trading town. I spent one day simply walking, touring the town, eating at the same local stalls I usually do where the meals cost less than a dollar and the patrons are shocked to see you and laugh as you load your bowl of Pho Ga (noodles and chicken) with chilli sauce.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-73393394158021937312009-11-03T19:27:00.000-08:002009-12-28T21:56:01.019-08:00Hue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD5W_VrnvI/AAAAAAAAATM/s2ye0y4BzQE/s1600-h/PB020163.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD5W_VrnvI/AAAAAAAAATM/s2ye0y4BzQE/s400/PB020163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400090126572035826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD5Wi6txwI/AAAAAAAAATE/mZ9yjFhC3q4/s1600-h/PB020162.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD5Wi6txwI/AAAAAAAAATE/mZ9yjFhC3q4/s400/PB020162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400090118942738178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4ojzoc2I/AAAAAAAAAS8/C2FNfL72jVA/s1600-h/PB010156.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4ojzoc2I/AAAAAAAAAS8/C2FNfL72jVA/s400/PB010156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400089328907481954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4oMdU-7I/AAAAAAAAAS0/MWRc3fHcKoE/s1600-h/PB010153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4oMdU-7I/AAAAAAAAAS0/MWRc3fHcKoE/s400/PB010153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400089322639915954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4nTYJzpI/AAAAAAAAASs/zM3lyAT0CMs/s1600-h/PB010152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD4nTYJzpI/AAAAAAAAASs/zM3lyAT0CMs/s400/PB010152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400089307317390994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD23iE3BoI/AAAAAAAAASk/JjTUrknGBxY/s1600-h/PB010148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD23iE3BoI/AAAAAAAAASk/JjTUrknGBxY/s400/PB010148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400087387117651586" border="0" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx3KrQ5bWCUtMWztRx_gWUW_wWQ3LTQsjQB2l_3KcbSyZPOZmhwc3iK7U3zbFCVZCAaqXtGVCpeejTSt1PqBg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD23RRpHhI/AAAAAAAAASc/AJqk5ka7_Hc/s1600-h/PB010144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD23RRpHhI/AAAAAAAAASc/AJqk5ka7_Hc/s400/PB010144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400087382607863314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD228zvqNI/AAAAAAAAASU/NGKTxQTJeng/s1600-h/PB010137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD228zvqNI/AAAAAAAAASU/NGKTxQTJeng/s400/PB010137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400087377113753810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD1YDLaDaI/AAAAAAAAASM/o0tgQfwhRpc/s1600-h/PA310132.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SvD1YDLaDaI/AAAAAAAAASM/o0tgQfwhRpc/s400/PA310132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400085746736041378" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I arrive in Hue on the morning of October 30th after a long bus journey, a harrowing one for most. I was wise enough to load up on a bit of vodka and successfully passed out before long. I had read of the horrors of the Hanoi-Hue bus journey online before my departure. It is a horribly bumpy drive with all the usual honking of Vietnam traffic. I made myself cozy in the back of the bus where the sound of noisy Vietnamese people talking on their cell phones and the honking of the driver was drown out by the whir and rumble of the engine. I started out with a 4-5 person mattress all to myself. A couple, from Poland if I remember right, joined me after a time. Then things got to be too much halfway through the drive when the bus drivers shift ended and he and his sweetheart joined us. With two couples on either side of me on a cramped mattress, and the bus driver making out with his lady, I finished the journey on the top bunk.<br /><br />Halloween at the Hue Backpackers Hostel was a hoot, with a great deal of free spring rolls, grilled chicken on skewers, and penut butter "witches finger" cookies. There was decorating, dressing up, music to fit the festivities, and of course lots of drinking. It was only a day or two later that the eve before the Melbourne cup was celebrated, again with dressing up and a great deal of drinking.<br /><br />While in Hue I visited a number of the tombs, contained in large park-like estates. I small village that is dedicated to making incense and derives most of its living, it would appear, from tourists like myself that are hearded through on an hourly basis. I did a day tour of the DMZ further North. I saw a number of old military bases, a landing strip, and the Vin Moc Tunnels used by the Vietcong during the war. This was all at the tail end of the typhoon as is evidenced by the image of the raging Pacific Ocean.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-71539797833211669692009-10-31T03:04:00.001-07:002009-12-28T21:33:36.323-08:00Halong BayMonday, October 26 through Wednesday, October 28:<br />The Halong Bay tour is probably the priciest thing I will do on my wanderings in SE Asia. I ended up with a real good crew of maybe 25 people and was quite pleased with the whole experience.<br /><br />Our boat, "The Jolly Rogers" was very nice; everything was clean, the rooms were spacious enough and air conditioned to boot. Food was tasty and plentiful. Jumping off the three story vessel was a blast. Kayaking to the caves was short-lived, coming in at maybe 45 minutes each way. The cave was stunning and opened up at on point to a small lake cradled by the walls of the karst that contained it. That night, shortly after the drinking started, six of us paid the boat man to take us out onto the waters in the smaller transit boat. We had him take us for one hour to various other vessels looking for other party-people. We boarded several vessels without permission, but the passengers seemed endlessly amused by the boldness of it. After visiting more than a dozen vessels and passing many quieter looking ones by entirely, we came to the realization that we had the hippest boat in Halong Bay, and so upon our return the drinking games ensued.<br /><br />It was a short night and the next morning came far too soon. Rare is the morning that I wake up drunk, but such was the nature of this morning. All fatigue was forgotten though as we pulled up to "Castaway Island" which is owned or at least leased out by the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel who I booked with. There we had free reign over snorkeling gear, and kayaks. I swam about in the cove, played a few games of beach volleyball, ate lunch, passed out, and proceeded to take to the bay. Along with a girl from the Philippines I kayaked out for an hour before coming to the realization that I was lost. it took the better part of another hour to find our beach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwPKNx9i_I/AAAAAAAAARs/Q_3-TZWJDEA/s1600-h/PA280095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwPKNx9i_I/AAAAAAAAARs/Q_3-TZWJDEA/s400/PA280095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398706721482705906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOBoWbtBI/AAAAAAAAARk/Nut_7zO_vTo/s1600-h/PA280097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOBoWbtBI/AAAAAAAAARk/Nut_7zO_vTo/s400/PA280097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398705474484548626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOBZYFYAI/AAAAAAAAARc/p-sQlFmGj0Y/s1600-h/PA260076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOBZYFYAI/AAAAAAAAARc/p-sQlFmGj0Y/s400/PA260076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398705470464942082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOA8IHjEI/AAAAAAAAARU/0IRvpUcdngI/s1600-h/PA270090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOA8IHjEI/AAAAAAAAARU/0IRvpUcdngI/s400/PA270090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398705462613347394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOAtJ4qHI/AAAAAAAAARM/0mh3A00nx2I/s1600-h/PA260068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwOAtJ4qHI/AAAAAAAAARM/0mh3A00nx2I/s400/PA260068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398705458594228338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMunQ-9MI/AAAAAAAAARE/Y8TJS8ejitQ/s1600-h/PA260072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMunQ-9MI/AAAAAAAAARE/Y8TJS8ejitQ/s400/PA260072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398704048264115394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMuZqsRXI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/PiHh115kp44/s1600-h/PA260067.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMuZqsRXI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/PiHh115kp44/s400/PA260067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398704044613846386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMt3wQO0I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/gcNvZcbfdr8/s1600-h/PA260059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMt3wQO0I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/gcNvZcbfdr8/s400/PA260059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398704035510369090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMtpdlMTI/AAAAAAAAAQs/4xWTP0G91jM/s1600-h/PA260055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwMtpdlMTI/AAAAAAAAAQs/4xWTP0G91jM/s400/PA260055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398704031673954610" border="0" /></a>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338469498131128200.post-26872265507695003122009-10-31T02:56:00.001-07:002009-12-28T21:30:54.662-08:00HanoiOn the bus to Hanoi, 7 hours were spent waiting for the closed border to open. It took 24 hours in total and I arrived in Hanoi at 8:00pm Saturday night, October 24th. It was an intense experience and made Bangkok traffic look like child's play. Here the traffic was thick like water, and flowed like a raging waterfall. At intersections all motorists collide and trickle through slamming to a halt at blockages and following the path of least resistance, meandering to and fro until once again they rejoin and flow together with <span style="font-style: italic;">relative </span>ease.<br /><br />Here are many pictures taken while walking the streets of this vibrant and buzzing city. There are bird vendors, newly-weds on the lakeside, elated locals, the best cup of coffee I have ever had, and also a picture from the Ho Chi Minh Museum and another of Woo, who I wandered with for a morning, being prepared for a photo op by a fruit vendor. Of course the fruit vendor demanded that we absolutely must buy her fruit after taking the photo, one of regular tricks that fruit vendors in Hanoi play, and one that apparently must work very well. You learn to thank them and simply to walk away.<br /><br />A note on the first picture: It was noon on Friday when motorcycles began to pour onto the sidewalks as they found the paths of least resistance and made their ways around the stagnant car/truck traffic. This all seemed to happen so quickly and I took this picture in an attempt to capture the insanity that ensued. I had not realized until afterward that I caught a man dropping his cargo off the back of his motorcycle creating a major jam. These massive bags are not of uncommon size. Cyclists will also carry multiple live pigs on the back of their bikes, or washing machines, or industrial sized fans -- no big deal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQmvOPgsI/AAAAAAAAASE/d1JME7zaM-4/s1600-h/PA300129.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQmvOPgsI/AAAAAAAAASE/d1JME7zaM-4/s400/PA300129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398708311007658690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQmHceBiI/AAAAAAAAAR8/sAmA43_7nTc/s1600-h/PA290121.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQmHceBiI/AAAAAAAAAR8/sAmA43_7nTc/s400/PA290121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398708300329911842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQljP24HI/AAAAAAAAAR0/Mj_nEE_giao/s1600-h/PA290111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwQljP24HI/AAAAAAAAAR0/Mj_nEE_giao/s400/PA290111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398708290613338226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLqs82BQI/AAAAAAAAAQk/xK_FwvoQAj8/s1600-h/PA290105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLqs82BQI/AAAAAAAAAQk/xK_FwvoQAj8/s400/PA290105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398702881559151874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLqObsZSI/AAAAAAAAAQc/A0HXxwGS8Dw/s1600-h/PA290115.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLqObsZSI/AAAAAAAAAQc/A0HXxwGS8Dw/s400/PA290115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398702873367045410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLplNSgtI/AAAAAAAAAQU/mV9oIxM5YqM/s1600-h/PA290116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLplNSgtI/AAAAAAAAAQU/mV9oIxM5YqM/s400/PA290116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398702862300775122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLpJNKzMI/AAAAAAAAAQM/bBOG4KHeUKE/s1600-h/PA300128.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwLpJNKzMI/AAAAAAAAAQM/bBOG4KHeUKE/s400/PA300128.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398702854784076994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwKe0Y8mPI/AAAAAAAAAQE/C6m5fhza-H4/s1600-h/PA290100.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwKe0Y8mPI/AAAAAAAAAQE/C6m5fhza-H4/s400/PA290100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398701577886013682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwKeQHi1nI/AAAAAAAAAP8/P6bgVZXrihc/s1600-h/PA250053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4yO2cgGLwnc/SuwKeQHi1nI/AAAAAAAAAP8/P6bgVZXrihc/s400/PA250053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398701568149345906" border="0" /></a>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08980405249390266838noreply@blogger.com0