The Village People

While walking through Sin Chai, we found these SUPER cute little H'mong kids using crooked sticks as stilts. They were so fun to photograph (except when they asked for money).

This little girl was away from the group looking for sticks around someone's house. She was SO happy when she found two that worked!

This kid cracks me up. I love his dirty little shorts, his JOE sweater, the way he slouched, and the defeated little look on his face. Adorable. Taken in Cat Cat.

This funny little kid from Cat Cat was gnawing on a big piece of sugar cane. I can't imagine that's good for his teeth...

While walking in Sin Chai, this old lady came up to us and invited us in to her home for some tea. We though she was being friendly (which I guess she was) but of course, she was also being industrious... She brought us there to sell us some of their handmade goods. But who cares! They were so nice and the hot water was great for such a cold day.

These girls were busy making purses and thought it was hilarious that I had knew some Vietnamese and could count to three in their tribal language (though that's all I knew). I would just say, "Oi zoi oi!" Which means, "Oh my God!" in Vietnamese, and they would just collapse in giggles. We ended up buying two purses from them.

It was really dark and smoky n the house. This was taken without the flash. I still like it though. I like the way they are kind of hidden in the shadows.

It was pretty rural out there. There was some electricity in some homes (we knew which ones they were because there was usually a crowd of 20 kids or more and a blaring TV with cartoons) but most were only illuminated with natural light from open doors or small fires in the middle of the home. We walked away smelling like charcoal but were happy to smell. It was really cool to visit a real H'mong home and commune with the whole family.

If you want to read more about H'mong, I HIGHLY recommend the following book: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. It's a medical/anthropological documentary about a H'mong family from Laos who escaped during the Vietnamese war and resettled in rural California. It's about all the struggles a group of physicians face when their daughter develops severe epilepsy and can't communicate with the parents due to language, culture, religion, and the ins and outs of the American health care system. A FANTASTIC read. Really.

Trekking in Vietnam

After we left Hanoi, Jeremy and I took the train to Sapa, a city in the very north close to China, in order to do some hill tribe trekking. We intended to go all out and walk several days but in the end, it was blister that ruined all the fun. While running in the rain to catch the train, some gravel got in my sandal and started tearing up my wet feet. I really wanted to stop but we would have missed our train so I kept on running. In the end, I found a nice sized patch of skin rubbed off my foot with dirt rubbed in it. Not good, folks. So, as much as we wanted to walk all over the place, we only made it to two villages. But that was enough. We started in Sapa and walked to Cat Cat and then on to Sin Chai.

On our way to Sin Chai, we ran into this elderly couple walking ahead of us. Oh my God, they were sooo cute! The old guy grabbed Jeremy's hand and started leading him up the hill while the old woman tried speaking to him in Vietnamese. It was too funny!!



He would just throw his hands up in the air and cackle really loud! Hahaha. The people in Sin Chai are Black H'mong and are seriously the nicest people. Very sweet.

We saw lots of kids along the way too. This one in the middle was kinda a punk. But a cute one.

And beautiful flowers covered with dew.

One of the loveliest things though was the millions of spider webs with dew stuck on them. They were all over the place. Spiders are not cool but spider webs are and I've never seen them look so beautiful before.

Me in my element.

Sin Chai village.

The terraced rice paddies. I really wish it hadn't been so foggy. There were some beautiful , deep valleys full of terraces that would have made very nice photos.

Jeremy really wanted to keep walking past Sin Chai and go to the next village, Ta Cha. However, we took the wrong train and ended up several kilometers out in the middle of nowhere with LOTS of misty fog. We found a couple huts and asked the natives how far to the next village but they just laughed--hysterically--at us. It seems the village is a lot farther away than we anticipated. In typical boy fashion, Jeremy wanted to continue (despite the warnings that we were on the wrong trail) and find this village anyway. (It's true, men RARELY ask for directions and NEVER believe the advice when they do.) He figured we would find a road sooner or later... lol. I said no way. I didn't want to get lost in the fog so late in the afternoon and eventually I talked some begrudging sense into him. We finally came back into town around 6 pm, two sorry heaps of tiredness. It was exhausting but so much fun.

Penang and Back Again

Okay, about those last days in Malaysia...

Gaby and I had planned to go out to the beach and spend a day or two in the sun but after putting on sun block, climbing into our swim suits, mapping out the trek and beach we wanted to visit, we walked out of the hotel only to find that it was raining. And it rained all day long. One day wasted in doors. Not all was lost though. We spent a couple hours eating rice for breakfast/lunch at pretty much the only place open in all of China town (everything was closed for the holiday) and two people I've met in other places around Malaysia (Jord from Hungary and Rick from Germany) came walking by (at seperate times of course). The recognized me instantly and before long all four of us were sitting around a couple plates of rice and noodle, chatting about our adventures and wasting time while it poured outside. No matter what the weather, good friends and good food always garuntees good times. :)

The next day Gaby and I finally made it to the beach (it was her 25th birthday). We didn't make it as far down the trail as we hoped because flip flops just aren't good for climbing rocks but we did find a nice, white sand beach perfect for a little sun tanning. Well, I tanned. She burned.

There were also several cute little Malay kids hanging around. I played with them a bit and waded out into the water where I took their photos. It was fun and great to be outside.







On the way back we saw lots of fishing villages on the bay and tons of Chinese people out looking for oysters in the sand. It was fun to watch.



That evening we went back to our favorite rice hut (the only place open) and ate more rice and shared a birthday pancake topped with fruit, chocolate drizzle and a candle. The candle didn't really stick in the pancake too well. We should have taken a picture but I forgot. It was fun though and a nice way to end our time together in Penang.

In the morning, we both set off in opposite directions; Gaby left for Ko Lipe in Thailand and I went back to KL so I could fly Thursday morning to Bangkok and meet Jeremy. Upon arriving in KL, I met some cool Brits who where seriously lost so I helped them find Chinatown and got them a place to stay too in my dorm room. I also helped them find a cheap way into Singapore by taking a combination of buses and public transport (which they were really grateful for) and they in return bought me a drink. We spent the night sitting in the rooftop bar and sharing our stories. They were quite interesting. The two (a girl and guy) were best friends and had been traveling for three months together and had another three months left to go--maybe I'll see them in Australia? The girl was thinking of extending her trip.

My last day in KL was just as uneventful as the one before. I slept late and went to bed early (hoping to avoid spending more money), chatted online with Jeremy, did some research on the cheapest route to the KL airport (it only cost me $4 but took 2 1/2 hours) and busied myself with the most amazing chicken satay on planet earth. Yes, that good. I would make a trip to Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown just for the satay. J and I will be flying to the Gold Coast from KL in March and I can't wait to share this amazing heaven sent dish with him. :)

Yep, so that catches all of you up. Not that exciting but sure to get better. We head to Ko Pha Ngan tonight. Yay for the beach!!

The Chans

So, my last few days in Singapore were sweet. Through a friend of a friend, I was hooked up with a place to stay for a few days which was such a nice retreat from the hostel. I was so sick of sleeping in dorm beds. It was also nice to just have someone else around to talk with, eat breakfast with, a little girl to play with, and most of all, not have to worry about your stuff if you need to leave or not having to pack all your valuables into the toilet with you when you need to go. I also had the pleasure of going to church with them--something I haven't had a chance to do in a long time. Traveling is hard work, my friends.

This is Vanessa, their little girl. We had an impromptu photo shoot one morning. So cute.

I spent almost a total of two weeks in Singapore and while I have quite a few photos to show for it, I'm sorry that I haven't posted nearly enough. I guess that Singapore just isn't that interesting. Sometimes I had to make myself go do something rather than sit in bed all day and read. But that's a dangerous game too because once you step out the door and into Asia's most westernized country, your pocket book starts cha-chinging!

A parrot from Jurong Bird Park. I think you would have loved it, Judy and John.

The CBD at Raffle's Place with one big blocky sculpture. ;

In that last week I just roamed around a bit. I hung out at the Jurong Bird Park (part of the zoo), I walked around China Town, walked about the CBD (central business district), visited a synagogue, an Armenian church, a couple museums, and watched a few movies (The Women is an excellent movie with thought provoking feminist themes; Seven Pounds is a moving drama that will challenge you to be a better person--take tissue). And even on my tight budget, I found myself shopping a bit too. But who couldn't in Singapore? The whole economy is driven by literally, a hundred+ malls. No joke. But I promise, it was all for necessary things. I found my favorite Korean makeup shop to replace the eyeliner and mascara that's been drying up. I picked up that City Scene Starbucks cup that I need from every place I go. I got a big book to read called Shantaram (Aunt Judy, this is a must read!). And the best part was bras and underwear from what I now believe to be THE BEST lingerie store on earth: La Senza. Kiss Victoria's goodbye! Man, I need bras so bad. I'm sure you all wanted to know that. But really. Korea doesn't import anything bigger than a B cup and I've lost so much weight that the old tattered things I brought from home don't fit anymore. So, I consider it all well spent cash.

Everyone is getting ready for Chinese New Year: January 26-29th.

Tuesday I packed up, said my goodbyes to the Chan's and headed out for Melaka, Malaysia. More to come on this later. And for those who are interested, Jeremy is doing fine in Iran. He's having fun and meeting really nice Iranian people. But he's a bit sick at the moment. Keep him in your thoughts. Only 14 more days until we see each other in Bangkok! I can't wait!

If you want a sneak peak at the Malaysian stories to come, check out my photo blog (365 Degrees) on the right side of the screen or click on My Flickr Albums to see more of the photos.

Alexandria

We first arrived in Alexandria and had a great time wandering around there for a few days (even if it all started out wrong). When we arrived we walked out of the airport and jumped in a pretty plain looking taxi. Following local custom--which is to not negotiate a price before hand (as all taxis are un-metered) and instead just toss them a fair price as you exit--we handed our diver 15 Pounds and jumped out. But our large driver followed us. He didn't seem happy. We were pretty convinced that was a fair price as we had asked some locals at the airport but he kept insisting that it wasn't and followed us a long way down the road as we tried to walk off (well, Jeremy was walking and I was kinda helplessly following). But when the driver started threatening to call the police it seemed that maybe we were wrong and he was right. With a little coaxing I got J to stop.

By this time the driver was so upset that he couldn't speak English anymore and we were fortunate to find two young Egyptian guys walking down the street toward us (it was about 1 AM). With a little their help, we learned that he was a special "tourist taxi" driver and that 60 Pounds was indeed the going rate for his special car (though it really didn't look much more special than a 1960's blue station wagon). It was a little embarrassing. Jeremy, though, enraged by the man's dishonesty (we had no idea what we were walking in to) refused to pay him the full 60 Pounds and felt that 50 should be enough to make the problem go away. The driver wasn't satisfied and I was a little worried that this big guy was going to crush my boyfriend in front of my eyes, but he blubbered on for a bit and eventually took what he could get and let us go. What a way to meet and greet the locals!! So much for first impressions!!

After that, almost everything was fine. We did have another unpleasant run in with a sassy old waiter at an over priced restaurant. I ordered a croissant with cheese but he brught me some meat dish that I didn't order. When I complained to another waiter and took them my dish, he returned, threw the dish down in front of me and said, "No. This is your order," and stomped off. Ugh. It took a few more tries plus a talk with the manager to get the order right but he did eventually come back with the right dish and apologize. Weirdness.


We totally lucked out with what had to be the BEST hotel room ever (notice I said ROOM and not BATHROOM--eww) found at www.wikitravel.org (a good alternative/supplement to Lonely Planet and Hostel World). For about the equivalent of $8, we got a sea view right on the corniche (ocean drive) smack dab in the middle of the bay, so we could see Alexandria sprawling out to the left and right, curling forth towards the center entrance of the bay. Lovely. Really. With beautiful french doors opening to a nice little balcony.

While in Alex, we visited the Bibliotheca Alexandria (Alexandria Library)--once the largest library in the world and one of the world's seven wonders (though long ago destroyed). Today a modern library stands in it's place and is a great place to just hang out for a bit and read or surf the net. We had a interesting time searching their catalog for books we suspected might be banned. The Satanic Bible, for example, is only available to authorized researchers. Interesting. But perhaps the most interesting part of the museum is the crazy architecture!



The next day we visited Pompey's Pillar which is basically a bit pillar above two sphinxs and is all that remains of ancient Alexandria (as in the city that Alexander the Great built). While there, the old gate keeper let us in to some closed off areas below where we could see a reproductin of the bull that the ancient Romans used to pray to as well as some catacombs and the old temple library-second only to the main library of Alexandria.


The next day we visited Pompey's Pillar which is basically a bit pillar above two sphinxs and is all that remains of ancient Alexandria (as in the city that Alexander the Great built). While there, the old gate keeper let us in to some closed off areas below where we could see a reproductin of the bull that the ancient Romans used to pray to as well as some catacombs and the old temple library-second only to the main library of Alexandria.

Later that day we went to a very old catacomb complex where thousands of Roman and Egyptian were once buried. We weren't supposed to take photos in there but there were no gaurds around and it was only me and J, so he stood watch and I snapped a few. :)

On the way back we walked through a very charming Islamic district, witnessing impromptu soccer games, home made dough-making in the street, lovely afternoon sun, and the best animal market ever.

A lovely little side street in the market area.

A piece of the action in that impromptu soccer game.

I just loved all the kids cheering from the side line. :)

That lovely light I was telling you about...

And some serious bread making! I wonder how much soot that dough collects from being out on the street...

I have never seen a goose like this before but it sure is pretty! Taken from the animal market.

Jeremy and those cute kids we met in the market. They LOVED having their photos taken!

Walk like and Egyptian...

Okay, so maybe if I keep uploading these things 6 photos at a time I will get them all on Flickr by the beginning of 2010.

Another great sunset shot from the side of our felucca on the Nile.

Straight from the camel's mouth.

We have so much fun together. This was on top of The Dead Mountain in Siwa. Jeremy climbed up there and forced me to follow. (I should mention that I'm the cautious one.)

Bicycle road kill. We rented some TERRIBLE bikes in Siwa with seats like cement and peddles that slanted out. My knees hurt sooo bad after maybe 12km that I couldn't walk very well the next day. And we're pretty sure it was the bikes because our second bike adventure in Luxor was far less painful.

We took a long bike ride out to Fatnas Island in Siwa, at the edge of the Great Sand Sea, and enjoyed a relaxing couple of hours under palms, sipping sodas. It was perfect.

These kids followed us all over the animal market in Alexandria. I just love their smiles.

You know, I've been to so many temples now that I can't remember which one this was taken at. But it looks cool. I guess the Egyptian dance is an ancient tradition after all! Jk.

Georgia in Photos: People Along the Way

Here are a few cute kids from along the way.

This boy and his sister followed us all over Ezerum, Turkey. He would say to us, "My name is Ahmed," then extend his hand to us and say, "My name is?" He meant, "Your name is?" lol. We still laugh about this boy. We gave them both some candy and took their picture. :)

Walking down from Gelati, we stumbled upon a group of kids just out of school and waiting for the bus. Finding ourselves a curious sight, we taught them some English, how to whistle with grass between your thumbs and how to do an owl call.

This girl sitting in the middle was their ring leader.

I Tbilisi, we visited one of the last mosques and found these ADORABLE kids outside playing with rocks. They really liked Jeremy. I taught them a few English words and how to say "Cheese!" for the camera.