Found this in my saved drafts.
Dated 13 Oct '09
Ok so the first 2 days of our trip are done, and we leave Vancouver tomorrow morning.
The hostel that we're staying in right now is really nice and comfy, with a dorm of 4 and comfy fat blankets and pretty washrooms and decent breakfast!
Vancouver in general seems much nicer than Toronto. The people for one thing are much nicer and friendlier and helpful. It seems cheaper too, at least for transportation. There is no Provincial Tax, unlike the 8% in stupid Toronto. And plus this place is soo superbly beautiful. The fall leaves are all turning red, and this morning when we were walking towards University of British Columbia, a red tree would suddenly pop out of green coniferous (I think) trees. Very beautiful.
Which brings me to how absolutely marvelous the UBC campus is! It seems much nicer than York, bigger, greener, cleaner, with (nude) beaches next to campus. Oh and we saw fraternity/sorority houses, with their Greek names. So much fun. I wonder how popular they are in Canadian unis. I really do wish I could transfer to UBC. I'm sure I would have liked the calmness of the city. To a certain extent I regret not having researched more on unis before coming here.
Then we went to Stanley Park, which is simply HUGE. We spent most of the day walking, mostly in circles. And then at the end of the day got lost, and had to lumber around in the dark towards the Fish House, where we has a reservation. But it turned out to be nice food, I had to have the Penne Pasta, as it was the only veg thing they had. But then the Lava Cake was quite decent. Though Bloody Mary was simply awful. Note to self - NEVER have it ever again. But the Fish House people did not charge me for it since I drank a sip of it and left it because I didn't like it. Very sweet, no? It's funny how sophisticated and classy the place was, and we were probably the only people who didn't drive there, instead we hiked :P
Yesterday we walked to Granville Island (we really seem to be doing a lot of walking). It was very nice and the Public Market was very cute too. Oh and the I bought the first season of the original 90210, as I haven't been able to find it online anywhere. Yipeee :) In the evening we almost went clubbing, but decided we were under-dressed after seeing all gals turning out in strapless dresses and high heels. How people can survive without 5 layers of clothes in that cold beats me. And Vancouver Film Festival (VIFF) is also on. Somehow wherever we go there seems to be a film festival going on. TIFF was on when we landed in Toronto.
Tomorrow is a long bus journey, so I'm glad I bought an iPod, brought Sons & Lovers and brought my laptop.
--------------
I loved travelling in that Moose Travels tour bus. The people were really friendly. The overnight stay at Shushwap Lake was quite memorable, with cute Australian guys in the same room, haha. And the discussion on who was from where over dinner in that very typical pub/grill place was so interesting. Almost made me wish I had been travelling for as long as some of them had. One of the guys was doing an around the world in an year trip. So cool.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
Funnnn...
I know I'm going to do it. Even though I know I shouldn't. Even though everything in my past experience tells me I'm gonna regret it. But I know I'm gonna do it.
Anywho this was a FUCKING AWESOME WEEKEND! Went clubbing on fri, but I didn't take my passport, tried another card but they didn't accept it as ID. So went to some sad pub-club place for a while, but it was ok. Then yesterday was half a day of shopping for swimwear. And then Cavalcade of Lights = fireworks. Then today we drove to Kitchener, to see a German Christmas market. And then came back to Harbourfront for the highlight of this weekend - ice skating! My first time ever. I fell smack on my butt about 5 times, so I feel like I might have broken my tail bone. I definitely sprained my right wrist and now it hurts. It somehow always hurts in exam time, and then I need to apply counterpain generously. But it was good. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the balancing thing for skating, but thanx to some awesome friends who held my hands and made me go around the place, it was good. I look forward to doing it again sometime :) Preferably after my butt heals and I forget how unsettling it was :P
And now the next weekend is even more fun, in as sadistic a sense as possible. Fri 7-10pm exam, Sat 7-9pm exam. It's basically 6 exams in the next 17 days. And then it shall be packing and another vacation. Before it's back to true reality. Singapore will feel so boring now, I'll probably cry my eyes out and miss Canada so much! But ah well, that's life. The fun of vacation comes only when you know you truly deserve it and long for it!
Anywho this was a FUCKING AWESOME WEEKEND! Went clubbing on fri, but I didn't take my passport, tried another card but they didn't accept it as ID. So went to some sad pub-club place for a while, but it was ok. Then yesterday was half a day of shopping for swimwear. And then Cavalcade of Lights = fireworks. Then today we drove to Kitchener, to see a German Christmas market. And then came back to Harbourfront for the highlight of this weekend - ice skating! My first time ever. I fell smack on my butt about 5 times, so I feel like I might have broken my tail bone. I definitely sprained my right wrist and now it hurts. It somehow always hurts in exam time, and then I need to apply counterpain generously. But it was good. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the balancing thing for skating, but thanx to some awesome friends who held my hands and made me go around the place, it was good. I look forward to doing it again sometime :) Preferably after my butt heals and I forget how unsettling it was :P
And now the next weekend is even more fun, in as sadistic a sense as possible. Fri 7-10pm exam, Sat 7-9pm exam. It's basically 6 exams in the next 17 days. And then it shall be packing and another vacation. Before it's back to true reality. Singapore will feel so boring now, I'll probably cry my eyes out and miss Canada so much! But ah well, that's life. The fun of vacation comes only when you know you truly deserve it and long for it!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Travel diaries 2 - Shuswap Lake
So today has been mainly travelling in the bus. We’ve been going from Vancouver to Banff, and we stop at Shuswap Lake tonight. It’s a tiny bus, and there are only 15 people on it, other than our tour guide/driver.
We stopped in between at a place which had salmon, huge ones. Some of them dead. Apparently they swim back to the place they were born, but the water is very shallow.
And I saw snow! Like on the ground right next to our bus. And the mountains are very pretty. Temperate rainforests all around.
I begin to understand why people here drink so much alcohol. It’s required for survival!
We stopped in between at a place which had salmon, huge ones. Some of them dead. Apparently they swim back to the place they were born, but the water is very shallow.
And I saw snow! Like on the ground right next to our bus. And the mountains are very pretty. Temperate rainforests all around.
I begin to understand why people here drink so much alcohol. It’s required for survival!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Travel diaries 1 - Vancouver
Ok so the first 2 days of our trip are done, and we leave Vancouver tomorrow morning.
The hostel that we're staying in right now is really nice and comfy, with a dorm of 4 and comfy fat blankets and pretty washrooms and decent breakfast!
Vancouver in general seems much nicer than Toronto. The people for one thing are much nicer and friendlier and helpful. It seems cheaper too, at least for transportation. There is no Provincial Tax, unlike the 8% in stupid Toronto. And plus this place is soo superbly beautiful. The fall leaves are all turning red, and this morning when we were walking towards University of British Columbia, a red tree would suddenly pop out of green coniferous (I think) trees. Very beautiful.
Which brings me to how absolutely marvelous the UBC campus is! It seems much nicer than York, bigger, greener, cleaner, with (nude) beaches next to campus. Oh and we saw fraternity/sorority houses, with their Greek names. So much fun. I wonder how popular they are in Canadian unis. I really do wish I could transfer to UBC. I'm sure I would have liked the calmness of the city. To a certain extent I regret not having researched more on unis before coming here.
Then we went to Stanley Park, which is simply HUGE. We spent most of the day walking, mostly in circles. And then at the end of the day got lost, and had to lumber around in the dark towards the Fish House, where we has a reservation. But it turned out to be nice food, I had to have the Penne Pasta, as it was the only thing they had. But then the Lava Cake was quite decent. It's funny how sophisticated and classy the place was, and we were probably the only people who didn't drive there,
instead we hiked :P
Yesterday we walked to Granville Island (we really seem to be doing a lot of walking). It was very nice and the Public Market was very cute too. Oh and the I bought the first season of the original 90210, as I haven't been able to find it online anywhere. Yipeee :)
Tomorrow is a long bus journey, so I'm glad I bought an iPod, brought Sons & Lovers and brought my laptop.
So I think I should go sleep now :)
The hostel that we're staying in right now is really nice and comfy, with a dorm of 4 and comfy fat blankets and pretty washrooms and decent breakfast!
Vancouver in general seems much nicer than Toronto. The people for one thing are much nicer and friendlier and helpful. It seems cheaper too, at least for transportation. There is no Provincial Tax, unlike the 8% in stupid Toronto. And plus this place is soo superbly beautiful. The fall leaves are all turning red, and this morning when we were walking towards University of British Columbia, a red tree would suddenly pop out of green coniferous (I think) trees. Very beautiful.
Which brings me to how absolutely marvelous the UBC campus is! It seems much nicer than York, bigger, greener, cleaner, with (nude) beaches next to campus. Oh and we saw fraternity/sorority houses, with their Greek names. So much fun. I wonder how popular they are in Canadian unis. I really do wish I could transfer to UBC. I'm sure I would have liked the calmness of the city. To a certain extent I regret not having researched more on unis before coming here.
Then we went to Stanley Park, which is simply HUGE. We spent most of the day walking, mostly in circles. And then at the end of the day got lost, and had to lumber around in the dark towards the Fish House, where we has a reservation. But it turned out to be nice food, I had to have the Penne Pasta, as it was the only thing they had. But then the Lava Cake was quite decent. It's funny how sophisticated and classy the place was, and we were probably the only people who didn't drive there,
instead we hiked :P
Yesterday we walked to Granville Island (we really seem to be doing a lot of walking). It was very nice and the Public Market was very cute too. Oh and the I bought the first season of the original 90210, as I haven't been able to find it online anywhere. Yipeee :)
Tomorrow is a long bus journey, so I'm glad I bought an iPod, brought Sons & Lovers and brought my laptop.
So I think I should go sleep now :)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wonderland.
So i went to Canada's Wonderland today. Very very memorable. With rides that make you plunge vertically to those in which you go backwards over loops to those roller coasters in which you actually stand, it is one hell of a place. Literally hell-ish. Specially if you were not born with a very healthy supply of guts. Like me.
My head is still spinning. And I keep picturing myself when I was at the top of the Behemoth. And we dropped almost vertically!
My head is still spinning. And I keep picturing myself when I was at the top of the Behemoth. And we dropped almost vertically!
Friday, June 12, 2009
The BIAs of the world
11/06/2009, 8am local time
So I am at the Bengaluru International Airport (ironically also shortformed BIA) and it has just started sinking in that I am back home. And I won't be going back to Singapore for a very, very long time. I always do miss Singapore much more than I have ever missed India. I feel more at home in Singapaw maybe. Or maybe it is the place which I relate with growing up, independence, discovering who I am.
At least the transition from Singapore to India has not been a very drastic one so far by virtue of Bangalore being a relatively sane and modernised city. Not that Delhi doesn’t lay claims to being modern. But the Indian-ness of the place hits you like a blast of strong wind the moment you exit from the airport, with that huge group of people standing outside. I have never figured out whether they are actually there to receive someone or just standing there for no good reason, to add some spice to their mundane lives. Ok that was a bit mean.
Anyway, so I spent the night at CCD (which is Cafe Coffee Day for people who don't know), sleeping on the couch with one hand on the luggage, hoping no one would steal it. In the morning, I had upma, and the guy at the counter had a very amused smile on his face. I'm guessing because I slept in the place at night. In a very mischievous way he asked also “Had a good night’s rest?”
The flight yesterday was not so bad overall, despite being a sad Tiger airways plane, with a bawling (but very cute, with a fountain on her head) baby determined to show her full screaming prowess and a very irritating flying-virgin who kept troubling me all the way with jabs and pokes and stupid questions and also kept trying the poor air-hostesses’ patience. And then towards the end of the flight there was this long haired Caucasian dude who coughed for about 15 minutes as if he was puking-choking and scared the hell out of me because I think he was drunk when he got onto the plane and I was scared he had eaten some medicine or something and an incident similar to the one in PGP would repeat itself.
Kingfisher made me pay a ton of money for my excess baggage, plus they apparently have some fee for staying at the airport since apparently it is a private airport. Apparently. So almost all the Indian currency I had in my wallet is now gone. Sigh. And now what with not being able to find the India sim that sis gave me, and stupid Starhub not letting me activate roaming without having to drag a sponsor to their customer service centre, I have no internet. BIA has WiFi but you need to message them and then they gave you a password which you can use to log in for an hour. So sad.
I have also been trying to forget and forgive a few things. And am left wondering why mistakes aren’t as easy to forget as lecture notes. And realizing truly the merits of distance. A lot of distance. You think you know yourself, and then one day suddenly you do something so not you. It is unsettling. Makes you rethink your whole belief system.
Oh and I would also like to clarify that Taiwan is not a bad place. It was just my initial culture shock that made me totally anti-Cheena. But after the initial shock had worn off, it turned out to be quite a lot of fun! And the pineapple-tart-thingy was very nice! As was Muah Chee. I kinda regret not being a foodie sometimes and trying out random food stuff. Of course being vegetarian makes that a little hard. Not that I have ever regretted not being a carnivore. Food has relatively little importance in my life. It is more of a daily duty to me than a pleasure. So for the people out there who keep convincing me to try meat, well, too bad. You might as well save your breath :)
I have also realized in the past few days (ya I'm a little slow) that life is all about adjusting. Adjusting to new places, new people (and the way they speak), new cultures, and of course, to your own mistakes. And learning to live with what you do. Ok I think this sounds a bit freaky. Don't worry I didn't kill anyone :P
I still have an hour and a half before boarding starts. I want internet :(
So I am at the Bengaluru International Airport (ironically also shortformed BIA) and it has just started sinking in that I am back home. And I won't be going back to Singapore for a very, very long time. I always do miss Singapore much more than I have ever missed India. I feel more at home in Singapaw maybe. Or maybe it is the place which I relate with growing up, independence, discovering who I am.
At least the transition from Singapore to India has not been a very drastic one so far by virtue of Bangalore being a relatively sane and modernised city. Not that Delhi doesn’t lay claims to being modern. But the Indian-ness of the place hits you like a blast of strong wind the moment you exit from the airport, with that huge group of people standing outside. I have never figured out whether they are actually there to receive someone or just standing there for no good reason, to add some spice to their mundane lives. Ok that was a bit mean.
Anyway, so I spent the night at CCD (which is Cafe Coffee Day for people who don't know), sleeping on the couch with one hand on the luggage, hoping no one would steal it. In the morning, I had upma, and the guy at the counter had a very amused smile on his face. I'm guessing because I slept in the place at night. In a very mischievous way he asked also “Had a good night’s rest?”
The flight yesterday was not so bad overall, despite being a sad Tiger airways plane, with a bawling (but very cute, with a fountain on her head) baby determined to show her full screaming prowess and a very irritating flying-virgin who kept troubling me all the way with jabs and pokes and stupid questions and also kept trying the poor air-hostesses’ patience. And then towards the end of the flight there was this long haired Caucasian dude who coughed for about 15 minutes as if he was puking-choking and scared the hell out of me because I think he was drunk when he got onto the plane and I was scared he had eaten some medicine or something and an incident similar to the one in PGP would repeat itself.
Kingfisher made me pay a ton of money for my excess baggage, plus they apparently have some fee for staying at the airport since apparently it is a private airport. Apparently. So almost all the Indian currency I had in my wallet is now gone. Sigh. And now what with not being able to find the India sim that sis gave me, and stupid Starhub not letting me activate roaming without having to drag a sponsor to their customer service centre, I have no internet. BIA has WiFi but you need to message them and then they gave you a password which you can use to log in for an hour. So sad.
I have also been trying to forget and forgive a few things. And am left wondering why mistakes aren’t as easy to forget as lecture notes. And realizing truly the merits of distance. A lot of distance. You think you know yourself, and then one day suddenly you do something so not you. It is unsettling. Makes you rethink your whole belief system.
Oh and I would also like to clarify that Taiwan is not a bad place. It was just my initial culture shock that made me totally anti-Cheena. But after the initial shock had worn off, it turned out to be quite a lot of fun! And the pineapple-tart-thingy was very nice! As was Muah Chee. I kinda regret not being a foodie sometimes and trying out random food stuff. Of course being vegetarian makes that a little hard. Not that I have ever regretted not being a carnivore. Food has relatively little importance in my life. It is more of a daily duty to me than a pleasure. So for the people out there who keep convincing me to try meat, well, too bad. You might as well save your breath :)
I have also realized in the past few days (ya I'm a little slow) that life is all about adjusting. Adjusting to new places, new people (and the way they speak), new cultures, and of course, to your own mistakes. And learning to live with what you do. Ok I think this sounds a bit freaky. Don't worry I didn't kill anyone :P
I still have an hour and a half before boarding starts. I want internet :(
Monday, May 25, 2009
The importance of a comfort zone.
It is one of those things you don't realize you need until you've lost it. And right now I have.
I'm in Taiwan. And feeling really isolated and out of place. People giving me weird looks doesn't really help. Yes I'm an Indian. Probably the first one you've seen in real life. Get over it. Maybe next time someone does that I should just show them the finger. Or yell something in Hindi. Ok I know you will say that I should 'enjoy the attention, 'feel special' and some other bullshit now. But right now I'm too cranky and pissed off to bother looking at the bright side.
You need to experience the 'discrimination' for yourself before you can know what I'm saying. I am not blaming anyone. I do not expect anyone around to know English. This is not a blame game. It is just a means to vent out my frustration. And the fact that no one right now can understand how I feel. Except maybe the one other Indian in the group. Because it doesn't even strike the others what it feels like to be left out of every conversation. Or feel guilty that they have to really strain their brain to find a way to translate what was just said especially for you.
In Thailand it was the food. In Taiwan its the language. Makes me feel hell guilty. And it shouldn't. But it does.
Non-veg people feel weird when they have to eat a totally veg meal. If for one meal they are taken out of their comfort zone, they feel it. Imagine having to live like that for 15 days. I'm very picky about food. I do not like to try out new things. My choice of food is limited to Indian. And junk. Chinese veg is never my choice. And here I need to feel grateful to get rice (for every freaking meal) and some boiled veg. No thank you. I would rather not eat.
If this article offends anyone, well I'm sorry. But I'm really really pissed off right now.
I am as much a vegetarian by birth as I am by choice. Nothing really is holding me back from eating non-veg. My sister eats it. My mum used to. So I do not appreciate it when people 'pity' me about it and say "Oh don't you ever feel tempted to try meat?" NO I DON'T. I feel repulsed by it. I'm not asking you to change yourself. You can go ahead annihilate whole species of whatever animals you want. But don't make me feel like a lesser person because I choose to not join you.
And about Taiwan, most of the people in the group have been here before. Many times. So they know the place quite well. Which makes it even worse. I don't even know the names of the places where we've been to so far. That is why I would rather stay in the hotel room and watch HBO rather than go out with the rest and feel like an illiterate fool.
I really wish I could carry the people in the group to India. And leave them each separately in a different city. Maybe it'll help them understand. I would never EVER have chosen to come to Taiwan of my own free will I think. Or even if I came, it would have been with non-chinks. So we would at least all be stupid and illiterate here. Like we were in Thailand :(
Bloody hell.
I'm in Taiwan. And feeling really isolated and out of place. People giving me weird looks doesn't really help. Yes I'm an Indian. Probably the first one you've seen in real life. Get over it. Maybe next time someone does that I should just show them the finger. Or yell something in Hindi. Ok I know you will say that I should 'enjoy the attention, 'feel special' and some other bullshit now. But right now I'm too cranky and pissed off to bother looking at the bright side.
You need to experience the 'discrimination' for yourself before you can know what I'm saying. I am not blaming anyone. I do not expect anyone around to know English. This is not a blame game. It is just a means to vent out my frustration. And the fact that no one right now can understand how I feel. Except maybe the one other Indian in the group. Because it doesn't even strike the others what it feels like to be left out of every conversation. Or feel guilty that they have to really strain their brain to find a way to translate what was just said especially for you.
In Thailand it was the food. In Taiwan its the language. Makes me feel hell guilty. And it shouldn't. But it does.
Non-veg people feel weird when they have to eat a totally veg meal. If for one meal they are taken out of their comfort zone, they feel it. Imagine having to live like that for 15 days. I'm very picky about food. I do not like to try out new things. My choice of food is limited to Indian. And junk. Chinese veg is never my choice. And here I need to feel grateful to get rice (for every freaking meal) and some boiled veg. No thank you. I would rather not eat.
If this article offends anyone, well I'm sorry. But I'm really really pissed off right now.
I am as much a vegetarian by birth as I am by choice. Nothing really is holding me back from eating non-veg. My sister eats it. My mum used to. So I do not appreciate it when people 'pity' me about it and say "Oh don't you ever feel tempted to try meat?" NO I DON'T. I feel repulsed by it. I'm not asking you to change yourself. You can go ahead annihilate whole species of whatever animals you want. But don't make me feel like a lesser person because I choose to not join you.
And about Taiwan, most of the people in the group have been here before. Many times. So they know the place quite well. Which makes it even worse. I don't even know the names of the places where we've been to so far. That is why I would rather stay in the hotel room and watch HBO rather than go out with the rest and feel like an illiterate fool.
I really wish I could carry the people in the group to India. And leave them each separately in a different city. Maybe it'll help them understand. I would never EVER have chosen to come to Taiwan of my own free will I think. Or even if I came, it would have been with non-chinks. So we would at least all be stupid and illiterate here. Like we were in Thailand :(
Bloody hell.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Night markets..
So its 12:50 at night (yep same time as sg) and I'm sitting in some random guy's ( :D ) room coz my room net doesn't work. Stupid cable thing. The whole thing disintegrated into my hands when I tried to use it. And chatting. And missing Indian food. I'm sick of having to always be a trouble and ask for special meals. And I'm sick of eating rice and Chinese Vegees. Sigh.
So we went night market before this. And I bought this random funky cap which I would normally never ever have bought. So fun :D And then the hanging thing for my phone, a necklace, bracelets, random top and, accidentally, leggings. But they were only 19 Taiwan Dollar, which is like less than 1 SingD, so who cares. Who knows, I might even end up using it.
Oh I've been talking sooo much Singlish here. OMG. But if I don't, no one will be able to understand what I say and I'll have to repeat a million times.
Oh and we went to Dharma Drum Mountain today. Its so freaking cool. The place is so hilly and pretty and clean and beautiful. The evenig service was in Cheeni so obviously I couldn't follow. Even though they gave us the English translation version. But it was very musical. And I like their uniforms. And I really liked the teachings of Sheng-Yen, the founder. He looks like one of those pure guys who are uncorrupted even in the midst of society. And what he says can appeal to both lays and monks.
And one dear friend of ours yet again asked a very smart question: "Are your flights to Malaysia and Singapore free when you go for public outreach?" And the other day he asked the Abbot (or was it Deputy Abbot?) what they pack in their bag when they go to other monasteries. So you see he makes our trip very interesting. I think I shall take the personal vow for tomorrow to speak no evil the entire day. Let's see how it goes :D
I think I should go sleep now. Though I'm not sleepy yet. Sigh. Why did I have to sleep so much yesterday night.
And I think I really have to do something about my appetite. It seems to be getting smaller and smaller by the end. And I'm tired of making up excuses to people about why I don't want dinner.
So we went night market before this. And I bought this random funky cap which I would normally never ever have bought. So fun :D And then the hanging thing for my phone, a necklace, bracelets, random top and, accidentally, leggings. But they were only 19 Taiwan Dollar, which is like less than 1 SingD, so who cares. Who knows, I might even end up using it.
Oh I've been talking sooo much Singlish here. OMG. But if I don't, no one will be able to understand what I say and I'll have to repeat a million times.
Oh and we went to Dharma Drum Mountain today. Its so freaking cool. The place is so hilly and pretty and clean and beautiful. The evenig service was in Cheeni so obviously I couldn't follow. Even though they gave us the English translation version. But it was very musical. And I like their uniforms. And I really liked the teachings of Sheng-Yen, the founder. He looks like one of those pure guys who are uncorrupted even in the midst of society. And what he says can appeal to both lays and monks.
And one dear friend of ours yet again asked a very smart question: "Are your flights to Malaysia and Singapore free when you go for public outreach?" And the other day he asked the Abbot (or was it Deputy Abbot?) what they pack in their bag when they go to other monasteries. So you see he makes our trip very interesting. I think I shall take the personal vow for tomorrow to speak no evil the entire day. Let's see how it goes :D
I think I should go sleep now. Though I'm not sleepy yet. Sigh. Why did I have to sleep so much yesterday night.
And I think I really have to do something about my appetite. It seems to be getting smaller and smaller by the end. And I'm tired of making up excuses to people about why I don't want dinner.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Ni hao ma :D
So we're in Taiwan now. Cheena cheena :(
I shall feel even more illiterate and useless here since at least in Thailand none of us (except Ajaan) knew any Thai.
And I got a hangover. Zomg I sound like such a boozer.
FAQ for the trip: Where is Xin Zhao :D Where is the banner?
Ok I can't think of anything to write. So I shall do this later.
I shall feel even more illiterate and useless here since at least in Thailand none of us (except Ajaan) knew any Thai.
And I got a hangover. Zomg I sound like such a boozer.
FAQ for the trip: Where is Xin Zhao :D Where is the banner?
Ok I can't think of anything to write. So I shall do this later.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Day 2
5:30pm local time
So we are in Nakhon now. Went to Suanmok in the morning. It is a monastery that was set up by Buddhadasa about 75 years ago and is something after my heart. I so like the whole concept of back to nature, instead of the insipid rituals and well adorned temples and statues. Though it has lots of dogs, whom I was obviously scared of, though they seemed harmless overall.
Then it was on to a temple. And the Chaiya National Museum. Weird place. But they were nice enough to not charge us, so we gave them one of the USP pens :)
Then the shopping mall was like so sad. Though I did get to eat vanilla chip ice-cream, which tasted more like butterscotch than anything else.
Everything in this country is in Thai. Majority don't speak any English. So it's very interesting to try to communicate with them. Like to ask when Carrefour closes, tap on watch, then make a curtain closing sign. Haha.
And now that we have internet at our hotel, I'm using it. And realizing how useless it is. I should really renounce the world and become a forest monk and go pray in like the Himalayas or something.
I should go up and sleep now. But before that we should be having a boozing session :D Let's see how it goes.
5:30pm local time
So we are in Nakhon now. Went to Suanmok in the morning. It is a monastery that was set up by Buddhadasa about 75 years ago and is something after my heart. I so like the whole concept of back to nature, instead of the insipid rituals and well adorned temples and statues. Though it has lots of dogs, whom I was obviously scared of, though they seemed harmless overall.
Then it was on to a temple. And the Chaiya National Museum. Weird place. But they were nice enough to not charge us, so we gave them one of the USP pens :)
Then the shopping mall was like so sad. Though I did get to eat vanilla chip ice-cream, which tasted more like butterscotch than anything else.
Everything in this country is in Thai. Majority don't speak any English. So it's very interesting to try to communicate with them. Like to ask when Carrefour closes, tap on watch, then make a curtain closing sign. Haha.
And now that we have internet at our hotel, I'm using it. And realizing how useless it is. I should really renounce the world and become a forest monk and go pray in like the Himalayas or something.
I should go up and sleep now. But before that we should be having a boozing session :D Let's see how it goes.
Swadika!
I'm in Thailand now. Woohoo! :D
And here's the 'diary' that I am keeping. And hopefully will continue to keep.
Day 1: 16th May 2009
12:30 local time
Phuket => Surat Thani
So we are in the bus now, on the way to Surat Thani. With our guide talking. He doesn’t seem to ever stop talking, I’m rapidly learning to become wary of the moment the mike is brought out. He keeps reminding us about “shoot the rabbit” and whatever “pluck the flower” or something (which means to go to the loo). So irritating.
Flight in the morning was ok. Managed to get to the airport in one piece with passport and all. Thank God for Salvation Army. Without them I wouldn’t have remembered about the passport thing. So as I was saying, flight today morning was quite ok. Even though I got the much feared neighbour. He slept half the way and the flight was only 1:20 hours. Then we got to Phuket and realized that the tour people thought we were coming by the 2pm flight. So we had to wait for him to rush to the airport. So I got to buy my first stick of chewing gum. And drink Minute Maid from a glass bottle. As Jie Hui pointed out, why does Singapore have only plastic bottles?
And we went to some random temple by the name of Wat Chalong or something which sounds like that. And I was re-reminded that it’ll soon become impossible for me to figure out what photo is for what temple.
Why does the guide not stop talking? “Phi” means older brother, and we’re supposed to call him that. And call Prof Pattana “achan”. Haha. Achar.
And he was talking about the monastery. And got me scared about how strict they will be. I don't know how to use chop sticks :(
It was super sunny when we were at the temple. And now its raining. Which is quite good. Cooler. And the guide stops talking. So I should sleep/look out the window/read “Children of the New Forest. Hmm.
Quote of the day: intelligence turns me on :P
11:00 pm local time
Ok. So the river cruise was very nice. I've never seen fireflies before. And they were amazing. Whole trees blinking one after another like Christmas lights. So pretty. And then the process of trying to catch one. And then Alicia making her clock blink. And Elvis getting one on his hand, which refused to leave and he didn't want to blow on it in case it fell into the water and drowned. Hahaha.
And then the Karaoke. And the love triangle. So fun :D
And the dinner was quite good. They made special veg food for me. Which also tasted decent. I’m hoping Thailand food will be ok. Coz Taiwan I am sure will be quite bad.
The hotel has no internet. So I cannot post this on my blog.
And I want to get drunk. Yet again. I'm sure we’re going to be doing that at least 2-3 times before we leave.
And here's the 'diary' that I am keeping. And hopefully will continue to keep.
Day 1: 16th May 2009
12:30 local time
Phuket => Surat Thani
So we are in the bus now, on the way to Surat Thani. With our guide talking. He doesn’t seem to ever stop talking, I’m rapidly learning to become wary of the moment the mike is brought out. He keeps reminding us about “shoot the rabbit” and whatever “pluck the flower” or something (which means to go to the loo). So irritating.
Flight in the morning was ok. Managed to get to the airport in one piece with passport and all. Thank God for Salvation Army. Without them I wouldn’t have remembered about the passport thing. So as I was saying, flight today morning was quite ok. Even though I got the much feared neighbour. He slept half the way and the flight was only 1:20 hours. Then we got to Phuket and realized that the tour people thought we were coming by the 2pm flight. So we had to wait for him to rush to the airport. So I got to buy my first stick of chewing gum. And drink Minute Maid from a glass bottle. As Jie Hui pointed out, why does Singapore have only plastic bottles?
And we went to some random temple by the name of Wat Chalong or something which sounds like that. And I was re-reminded that it’ll soon become impossible for me to figure out what photo is for what temple.
Why does the guide not stop talking? “Phi” means older brother, and we’re supposed to call him that. And call Prof Pattana “achan”. Haha. Achar.
And he was talking about the monastery. And got me scared about how strict they will be. I don't know how to use chop sticks :(
It was super sunny when we were at the temple. And now its raining. Which is quite good. Cooler. And the guide stops talking. So I should sleep/look out the window/read “Children of the New Forest. Hmm.
Quote of the day: intelligence turns me on :P
11:00 pm local time
Ok. So the river cruise was very nice. I've never seen fireflies before. And they were amazing. Whole trees blinking one after another like Christmas lights. So pretty. And then the process of trying to catch one. And then Alicia making her clock blink. And Elvis getting one on his hand, which refused to leave and he didn't want to blow on it in case it fell into the water and drowned. Hahaha.
And then the Karaoke. And the love triangle. So fun :D
And the dinner was quite good. They made special veg food for me. Which also tasted decent. I’m hoping Thailand food will be ok. Coz Taiwan I am sure will be quite bad.
The hotel has no internet. So I cannot post this on my blog.
And I want to get drunk. Yet again. I'm sure we’re going to be doing that at least 2-3 times before we leave.
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