Unification Day

It's Unity Day today. Which means all shops are closed and it'll be a "two Sundays" weekend. Good news is restaurants, bakeries and cafes are still open so I won't starve. And seeing as it is an official public holiday, I decided on doing no work today and made my way to the Belgian Quarter.

I've been to the Belgishes Quartier (made that up, the Belgianised name I mean, not the place. The place exists. Really) twice before, but both times at night so can't say I was able to see much in order to give a comprehensive description of the area. So I set out wearing too many layers far too early in the year and battled my way against the gusty, blustery wind from Rudlofplatz to Brüsseler Platz where I stumbled upon a group of kids putting on a performance in front of a church for some sort of fete. As is evident from the name of the Quarter, this is where the Belgians decided to settle when they moved to Germany, lending a Belgian air to the place with their Belgian shops, cafes and restaurants. Could it get anymore Belgian? There are also many indie boutiques lining the narrow streets branching off from Brüsseler Platz. I suppose the most notable thing about the area is that the buildings have more decorative features compared with the usual bland and boxy buildings I've grown accustomed to here. A possible Belgian influence? Anyway, I wandered around a bit more, found a street with Asian restaurants (Chinese, Japanese and Thai mainly) and through a series of random and impulsive choices of streets to explore, somehow managed to return to my starting point of Rudolfplatz.

From Rudolfplatz, I decided to skip the usual route of heading straight down to Neumarkt and took a left turn somewhere very early on. It was the best impulsive decision I've made in a long time. I found a cafe called Royal Cupcakes (it was shut) that I'm going to take Saj to when she comes. A chocolate cafe called Hernando Chocolates (I think) that was also shut. Well basically it looked like it just sold chocolate related stuff when it was open. And a street called St. Apern Strasse lined with galleries. Just galleries, and more galleries and more galleries. And a glasshouse looking building with even more galleries. I'm definitely coming back next weekend. It was the greatest discovery I've made since I moved here. Or so I thought, until I stumbled upon this most lovely open-spaced, high-ceilinged bustling cafe/restaurant/bakery called Bastian's Baecker, which also had a cosy little alcove and an outside seating area at the back in their garden. They had the most refreshing mint tea, mainly because it was made with what looked like half a mint plant. And their cherry tomato-onion-omelette with fresh salad came in the regulation jumbo sized portion that I'm still not used to but happily ate. Sated and happy and after spending more than an hour marvelling at how beautiful and cute the three children on the opposite table were and trying to deduce the ethnic origin of their parents, who looked distinctly Latin American , I left. But not before I bought some stuff from their bakery for "tomorrow". I'm proud of my forward planning because that was THE best bread roll I've had since I came here. It was amazing. It was fluffy on the inside and firm on the outside. It had just the right amout of pumpkin and sunflower seeds without it feeling like biting into a trail mix. It had the right level of saltiness-sweetness. And clearly my enthusiasm in bread is slightly abnormal. But you try eating nutella on stodge and telling yourself each time you buy a different type of bread that it'll be different this time... As I have also lost the art of self-control, I don't know what I'll be eating for breakfast tomorrow. But I know where I'll be going next weekend.

This place is carb overload central. I may need to join a gym so that I can maintain this habit....

The Kölsch way

Ok, so in 13 days I will have lived in Köln for 2 months. The verdict: Awesome place to live. The vibe is relaxed and the natives friendly. There are bakeries everywhere. Millions of them. Shamefully I've succumbed to their freshly baked goods with their freshly baked smells wafting onto the streets, although I'm still not impressed by their "sliced" bread. I also had the misfortune of tasting a national delicacy (not from a bakery) called Reibeküchen. It was a heart attack wrapped in greaseproof paper with an apple mash thing that I would probably feed my teething child, if I ever did have a child, one day. It was nasty. Basically, it was some sort of potato mash that was mixed into some sort of flour mix and deep fried into flat circles. You get three of these circular coronaries and you eat it with the baby food apple mash. Convinced? I don't know how Corni suckered me into giving them a go. I didn't feel too good by the end of my first piece. I have no idea what possesed me to eat the second one. Probably high on artery clogging oil. I guess if it was like below 50 degrees and you needed some way of sustaining yourself, 2 of these would be enough for the day.....

What else? Köln is bike friendly and it's easy to get around the city on the trams. Cyclists are very keen to ram you down if you happen to step onto their lane for even a second. Which you can't help doing cos there are cars parked everywhere, many of which are on pavements. Foooor pedestrians. Jaywalking is against the law and I've gotten dirty looks from some of the residents when I try to introduce this London past time. Admittedly Köln is not one of the prettiest cities I've been to, like say Paris or Florence. Buildings are squarish blocky 50s architecture with regulation rectangular windows. Corni likes to remind me why they aren't so pretty. Like I had something to do with it? Despite the monotony of building designs, the apartments are unexpectedly beautiful and spacious. That's what Köln is like, not much on first glance, but stunning when you take a further look.

I'm still trying to learn German. Not getting very far. However, I can now say with confidence and mock German accent "Ich möchte eine torte, bitte." Translation: I would like one cake, please.

Laters/ später.

To the North

"What's a heath?"
"No idea. Let's check it out!" So we set the coordinates for Hampstead Heath on my bro's nifty sat nav and off we went to places unexplored. One of my bros was down for the weekend and since he had a car, we thought it would be nice for the Fantastic Four a.k.a moi and my trois freres to drive out somewhere, especially with the sun making a very rare appearance. Hampstead Heath is in the leafy borough of Haringey in North London. The houses here are red-bricked and big, with wooden window frames and pretty gardens. We parked on Sheldon Avenue where sizeable detached houses had architecturally distinct and modern front porches (and most definitely not according to borough regulations where I live). Except for one house, which looked like a 70s ski lodge. I wish I'd brought my camera. I considered knocking the door of one of the porches that I liked and ask if I could take a closer look. But then I noticed the cctv cameras that some of the houses had in the area. And then I looked at the four of us. We were a motley dressed crew: a hoodie with bigass kicks, a semi-hoodie with sparkly sandals, a hobo-uni student-needs a haircut, and one normally dressed guy. Maybe another day.

The heath turns out to be a park sort of thing. We decided to follow the unmade path route which took us through yellow meadows that looked stark and barren under the overcast sky. 10 minutes later it got cold and windy. 5 minutes later it started raining. Sigh.... So we turned back after our vigorous 15 minute stroll. So.... cinema? Shrug. Yeah. Guess so. The closest was a Phoenix Picturehouse, a small independent chain that shows mainly alternative and foreign cinema with occassional blockbusters. The earliest show was at 9pm. It was only 6:45pm. So we headed to Odeon in Muswell Hill.

"This must be where the yuppies live?" remarks my bro. "What's a yuppy?" asks another. I can see what he means, with the well tended streets, numerous well-established trees lining the pavements, redbricked semi-detacheds and redbricked terraced flats with private fire escapes. "No, I don't think yuppies exactly but definitely well to do people. Like Notting Hill." I wouldn't mind living in a neighbourhood like this one day. We passed 3 independent bookstores, an independent toystore, another independent store of some sort. Yep, mostly indie stores with the exception of Sainsbury's opposite the Odeon. We had 3 options: the latest Harry Potter, Bruno, and Public Enemies. It was an easy desicion made by two of us. Public Enemies turned out to be a way-too-long overdramatic piece of melodrama with gag-inducing lines and epic pieces of soundtrack that made you cringe. Michael Mann. What did you do?

Give them cake

A giant cupcake you say? In Covent Garden? Do I wanna go? Hell yeah! What do you take me for? Have I EVER turned down cake? According to Le cool London, there was going to be an unveiling of the most bigass cupcake. Luckily, I was heading out to central London anyway as upon surveying my wardrobe it occurred to me that I could quite easily dress like a 12 year old, but couldn't actually teach any in what I had. And seeing as Germany is quite a conservative and "proper" country, I had a feeling that my new place of employment would not appreciate me turning up in my hot pink patent adidas and 80's multicoloured-triangle patterned windbreaker.

I was expecting to find a gigantic cupcake that towered over me. It turned out to be a 1.25 x 1.2m artificial looking thing of which I couldn't see much of and had to climb onto a chair to just catch a glimpse, as there were burly mean-looking guards securing the immediate perimeter. What was in fact more impressive was the massive queue of people that snaked along towards Tavistock road, hoping to get a look and a bite of it. Many of them looked to be in their early teens. Don't they have school? Anyway, I had better things to do than to queue for cake, even if it was the most biggest record-breaking cupcake in the world. This included checking out the Covent Garden Real Food Market which I've been told is running till October.

There was a stall selling mini-cupcakes, yep that's right, mini- "I can't see it"-thumbsized-"I need a magnifying glass"- "one lick and it's gone" cupcakes for £1. Each. Each?!! Are you high?!! Forget that. I'm going to get my cupcake elsewhere.

Which I did later after getting bored bored of shopping, at a place called Candy Cakes located in the basement area of Covent Garden. The cake was good though half of it really was just sickly sweet icing that I had to scrape off. Dear Joma, will you please open a branch on this island?

Covent Garden shopping was getting old so I wandered towards Leicester Square and decided to head to the National Portrait Gallery. I was in luck. The BP Portrait Awards 2009 was still on. And many of the entries this year were outstanding. My particular favourite was the winner of the BP Young Artist Award (http://www.npg.org.uk/bp-portrait-award-20091/the-exhibition/prize-winners-home.php?prize_position=4). It was definitely a painting because up close you could see the paint (!), brushstrokes etc. But when you stepped back you couldn't help but stand there puzzled and think, it couldn't be?! It HAS to be a photograph. The definition, the lighting, the shadows....It was most incredible.

A very English Affair

I've finally downloaded my photos onto my computer. I have over 1300 to trawl through and it's making me travel-sick (is that the right word?). I miss the butterflies that were everywhere; the so easily available fresh pineapple juice that I loved way too much; the long long bus journeys where I failed to read Crime & Punishment or learn German with Michel Thomas because I was distracted by: the magical scenery, Steve's obssessive photo editing, Oreos, the incessant beeping of cars. I miss the heat, the amazing food that were obscenely cheap, Hannah's facial melodramatics, getting lost with Sophie, Tristan's constant whining..... I miss travelling! And sleeping an average of 5 hours each night since I got back probably ain't helping me get over the jet lag. In spite of all this, I still made it to Samira's big day. It was possibly the poshest affair I had ever been to.

The day started in Christ Church College  (for the non-oxonians/those who don't know, some of the scenes in the Harry Potter films were filmed in the Christ Church College, so yes, there are ALWAYS tourists invading the place), followed by a boat ride down the ISIS river, where my so far dormant hayfever unfortunately kicked into gear, and finally, a reception in Blenheim Palace, the birth place and vacation home of Winston Churchill.... I think..... I'm so bad with remembering these kind of facts. Saj and I once tried to cycle to Blenheim Palace one summer. We ended up heading towards Coventry. This is not surprising since even with the two of us (she being a real Londoner and me a semi-Londoner), we somehow still manage to get lost together in Central London....

Blenheim like Buckingham is huge and grand, with immaculately manicured lawns and beautifully tended gardens surrounding the palace. It is located in the lovely village of Woodstock, with its little stone cottages and houses, and a small town square. It is a 20-30 minute bus ride south of Central Oxford, though I never did figure out which bus it was one would take there. But why take the bus when you can cycle through the glorious English countryside in the summer? Anyway, Samira and Ed's wedding reception. Have I said it was very English? And very posh? It was also very elegant, with guests having dinner to the whimsical serenades of a harp. The newly-married couple danced their first dance to Louis Armstrong's "We've got all the time in the world". I was secretly hoping they would break out into a hip-hop routine midway to make things "street" but then realised this was Samira and Ed, super-posh and very most refined. They'd have most likely balked at the idea if they'd come to me for suggestions. And also quite possibly un-invited me. The opening to my thank you wishes in the guest book at the end of the night was, "Samira, who is this Ed guy?" Saj is reconsidering inviting me to her own wedding.

Boutiques and antiques

London is beautiful in the summer. Unlike Paris which is stunning all year round, London is a flower that needs the sun to blossom. And today was a gloriously sunny day with a gentle breeze. Perfect for doing what I should've done when I first got the wedding invite- acquire a suitable outfit and buy a gift, though to be fair I already had half the gift sorted out. I just needed a "box" to put it in. So I shed my recent hobo-traveller look, which I was starting to grow fond of, and donned my yellow trench and bashed up Rays. I was ready to face London and it's gazillion shops. Also I figured this would be the best way to deal with my jetlag and delay the onset of any post-travelling depression. So where to guv'nor?

The last time I went to Notting Hill was sometime last year. Couldn't see much of it as there was a carnival going on with lots of people covered in chocolate. Today was more civilised with people wandering in and out of boutiques and antique shops. Though I much prefer edgy Camden Town, I thought I'd have better luck with my task in the more refined Notting Hill. Made famous by the film of the same name, Notting Hill is now always swarmed with too many tourists blocking the narrow paths for photos, or just plain standing around and being an annoyance. Kinda like what I was for the last month. Nevertheless, Notting Hill is very pretty with it's pastel coloured terraced houses and numerous cafes, especially along Portobello Road.

I walked into a gorgeous shop called Yates Buchanan and met the lovely Katherine, who turns out not only to be from somewhere close to Cologne (her dad's from there) but also lived in Singapore many years ago. She gave me a whole load of dresses to try on. By the 12th gorgeous dress it dawned on me that a) the dresses I liked were a lot like the dresses I already owned, b) I was jetlagged and didn't want to try anymore dresses, and c) I still had to buy tix to Deutschland and hence ain't got the buckaroos to be splurging on pretty things, no matter how much I liked them, which was a lot. I said my goodbyes to the dresses and Katherine. A few doors down, was a lovely antiques shop that Christina would've loved, filled with wonders from China, Mongolia and Tibet. And! I found the rest of Samira's present. Result!

Feeling really amazingly good about my accomplishment, I thought I deserved a treat. So I strolled along Portobello Road, looked at old cameras, new clothes, quirky trinkets and there is was. Gail's. A french cafe with the most sumptuous delights that it took me 10 minutes to decide what to eat. Finally, I decided on the fruit salad as part of this detox programme I thought I may try out which involved eating a lot of fruits. I then ordered a blueberry-pistachio cake (blueberries= fruits) and a lemon drizzle cake (lemon= fruit). Unfortunately, instead of the blueberry-pistachio cake that I requested, they brought me a raspberry-almond cake. I was miffed. Until I took a bite. And the lemon drizzle. Di-vine. This detox programme is going to be so easy.

It's not over yet

Dubai is strange. They are building, well more accurately "were" building, until this whole recession thing hit the world, islands in the sea and lakes out in the desert. Why?! Now they have the famous Palm Island, which is largely uninhabited and mainly swarming with visitors come to goggle at this "8th wonder of the world", and the Atlantis Hotel with its 2500 rooms and 400AED mains. There have been complaints of murky seawaters from owners of private beaches bought on or alongside the island. It is worrying that the individuals involved in these major land-redefining projects have not considered the immediate as well as the long-term impact of reshaping the landscape on the local environment, the sea dynamics and the flora and fauna near and far. Money talks (when you have it) as the old adage goes.





I went to another shopping mall yesterday, in search of something to wear to Samira's big day. As stress levels rose and the sense of hopelessness slowly engulfed me, I was rescued. By a massage spa. Hurrah!! My heart soared and I decided to go there after grabbing my last ever freshly squeezed pineapple juice of this trip. I once had 5 in just one day in Vietnam. The experience left me abstaining from fresh pineapple juice for sometime. But then I ODed on fresh lime juice. Clearly, I have issues with moderation. Anyways, I had a "head- face" and "back-shoulder" combo massage. My body has been in a bad way for some time from lack of exercise, especially my shoulders, which didn't go un-noticed by the massage-lady. I should've also warned her about the bruises I have sans paintballing. But I forgot. I noticed the look of alarm on her face when she asked what it was that I did. I said teaching, hopefully, beginning next month..... I need to work on my "convincing" skills.

I fly back to mi casa Laandan later today. Thus will begin my arduous task of photo downloading, uploading, flickring, blogging, facebooking, tagging. And sadly it marks the end of this most awesome 45 days. But don't worry. There's still more blogging to be done. It's London baby. And I have 3 weeks to suck it dry.

Dubai's golden sands

Paintballing hurts!! I have bruises the size of chestnuts covering my body. And according to one of the paintballing staff, they take 2-3 weeks to disappear! "2-3 weeks?!!" I squealed. But it was such a rush! And I was on a high the rest of the day. I'm definitely going again (if I can) when I get back to the UK.

Singaporeans are spoilt. They have so many outdoor places to go to. We walked along a "suspension bridge"- Henderson Waves- that was over 5 km long from Alexandra Ave to the Harbourfront, and enjoyed the greenness and modernity that is Singapore.

We then went to the Marina barrage, where there was a cool breeze coming in from the sea and watched the pre-national day fireworks practise-run. Shame that most of the view was blocked by the ugly and heinous "Integrated Resort", Singapore's soon to be version of Las Vegas which will be ready next year. My Unc and Aunt then thought that it might be fun to drive me through Singapore's red light district. Singapore has a red light district?! Who would've thought. But with the economic downturn and rise in H1N1 infection in the country, business was slow on the streets. Thankfully.

I'm in Dubai now. It's 37-40 degs here. But because it's not humid, it's manageable. There's not much I can see here at the mo. The sky is dusty with sand. There was a sandstorm a few days ago, thus masking the skyline with a thick layer of sand particles. They say it should settle down in a week's time. Dubai and Sharjah have been hit badly by the economic downturn. Dubai's super-size airport was empty when I landed and many of their construction sites lie deserted with skeletons of 50-storey buildings waiting to be completed. And the many buildings that have been completed remain unfurnished and unlived. Tough times.

I'm off to a "Dune dinner safari" this evening. I should be expecting some thrill riding through the dunes, some camel riding, watch the sun set over rippling sand and dinner under the stars. I haven't seen the sky, sun or stars since I got here. I did catch a glimpse of the moon last night. Let's see if they can deliver on the last two.

Chinchapore/Singapore day 3

I love cycling. And more so along the beach. As I pedalled away under sun-dappled leaves, the gentle breeze whipping my hair, the waves crashing rhythmically against the sandy shore, I tried to remember the last time I cycled along East Coast beach. I remember cycling with my cousin Aziz, who was also my childhood bestfriend. Along with his older brother Didi, we were like the 3 musketeers, always up to no good. Before Singapore became a city of concrete and lights, houses used to be of the wooden and zinc variety built in clusters in little villages. And that was only about 20 years ago. Each summer when I'd come down to Singapore to visit, the 3 of us would go off exploring in our gran's village- wandering into neighbouring houses, running through narrow alleyways, chasing little chicks, play badminton and football (I was always the goalkeeper) till sundown, drink too much coke........ Good times.

Atikah and I happened to come across a National Geographic store today that had some amazing antique furniture. There was also a photo exhibition. We saw photos of nature and wildlife from the NG archives that make your heart sing.

Paintballing tomorrow at 9 AM. Can't wait!

P.S. Got the insect bite checked out, which is now the size of an orange. Turns out I've managed to contaminate it and now have a subcutaneous infection, which according to the doc is unusual. I am on antibiotics. 30 days in 3rd world level conditions and I get infected in superclean Singapore. Go figure.

On the go in Singapore

Say whaaat?! You want me to get off the train, carry ALL my luggage, go through immigration, and then board the train again? It's 6:40am Man! Of course, seeing as there were sniffer dogs outside the train and I had a stash of illicit gum, I complied with their demands. I got off the train with all my crap, remembering to leave my gum behind. Got my passport stamped. Then waited for a long long time to get back on cos a couple of bozo backpackers didn't understand that when they say take ALL your luggage with you through customs, that it means ALL your luggage, including your super-mondo-only-piece-of-luggage backpack. My overnight train cabin was lush. Ensuite with two to a cabin. And I had it all to myself. I finally got to Singapore at 8:40am and to mark my return to my place of birth, the heavens opened and Singapore welcomed me with big wet open arms. My Uncle says that it hasn't rained for ages. Well, what can I say. I seem to have that effect on places. And people. My gran started sobbing when she saw me.

So after an hour's rest, my cousins Nadiah and Nabilah had a whole day planned for me and took me to what felt like the entirety of Singapore, including Hairloom and Caramel- a super cute cafe fashioned in the style that I would like my cake shop to be one day- and along the riverfront at night to admire the Singapore skyline and lights. ..... 

I can't help thinking that I could happily just spend my time taking beautiful photos, baking delicious cakes, travelling loads loads more and writing about my travels. This life of course is dependent on whether I find that elusive pot of gold that I have been searching for for so long. And whilst buying tix for an exhibition, I got mistaken for an 18 year old. I'm going to be 27 next month! 27! How did that happen? And in 3 years time I'm going to be 30! Just kill me now. I know that many of you are 30 and I always say that 30 is not old, which is true and I mean it. It's just that at 27, I'm only just starting my first proper job next month, and I have yet to decide what I actually wanna do and where I want to do it. Plus, I am a drama queen. I always have a "what am I doing with my life" crisis before each birthday since turning 24. And I'm going off track. This is meant to be a travel blog.

Singapore is a city for young people. There's so much going on and so many places to go to. You could go out to a different place each night and still have many more to go to the rest of the year. These places of course are mainly of the eating, shopping and some theatre-going variety. Like KL, it's a shopaholic's dream and there's a place along the river called Clarke Quay that's just lined with restaurants and pubs. For outdoorsy stuff, there's loads to do along the coast. And if you want to go biking and trekking through the forests, a short boat ride to the surrounding islands will get you there. Atikah, another cousin of mine is taking me biking tomorrow. I can't wait. I really need some cardio exercise.

Anyways, for today Atikah was determined to help me find a wedding present for my friend and we stumbled on a cutesy little street, Haji Lane, filled with indie boutiques and vintage shops housed in old Chinese shophouses. We then found a dinky "Little Museum for Children" on Arab Street that sold stuff from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I found my dream scooter and Kelvinator there. 

For a laugh, we dropped by The Raffles Hotel, the super exclusive and expensive hotel of Singapore. I even contemplated pretending to be a guest at the hotel so that we could get into the "Resident's only" areas. It was like walking into a Merchant Ivory film- white colonial architecture with green lawns and stone fountains. I nearly expected someone dressed in cricket whites to come strolling along the corridor with a glass of Pimms, possibly on his way to the dining hall for a spot of high tea. Next was the Singapore Arts Museum (SAM), which had some fantastic paintings and photographs on display, and what I needed at this point in my trip. Strangely, in addition to my bike and the gym/exercising, the only other thing I've really missed on this trip are art galleries. Weird huh? I miss the coolness and quietness of them and being able to just walk around and look at art. I would highly recommend SAM to anyone visiting Singapore. And the Night Safari too. You were right Tristan, it was fun.

My uncles have been trying to sell me Singapore and convince me to work and move here. Which is fine if I liked super perfect-regimented-pristine-sterile cities. I don't know. I've never been very good with perfection and following instructions. I think I'm more of an edgy, slightly rough, gum-chewing kinda city girl. Or something. Whatever. What I do know is that I was bitten by some critter yesterday that has caused my right arm to slowly swell to double it's size. Bugger.

El Muchos Stoopido

Si, that's what I should be called. El Muchos Stoopido. Why? Because I got to the KLCC (= Petronas towers) yesterday only to find that it was closed to visitors on Mon. Well, ok. That's an easy enough "overlook" anyone could make. What happened next qualifies for the title. So KLCC is also a mondo shopping centre. So I figured I'd just wander around for a bit, possibly find a dress to wear to my friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. Of course, if I was not El Muchos Stoopido, I would've had a dress made specially at Hoi An by one of the master tailors. Instead, I go and get 3 other dresses made while I was there, none of which are remotely suitable for a fancy occasion being held at Blenheim Palace. I then proceeded to buy a pair of sandals. Yes, sandals. It's not like I have enough footwear as it is. And now I go and buy a category of footwear that will only be of use for like what? 7 days of the year in England. Smart move bozo. I then wandered to Zara, determined not to be sidetracked and then zoned in on this gorgeous canary yellow handbag. Oh oh you say? Well yes, for a whole 15 mins. I even did the whole exchange rate thing and finally realised that there was no way ever I would've forked out 80 quid for a handbag from Zara. I placed the handbag back on the shelf, stroked it longingly and gave it one last glance before exiting the store. Sigh. There is something wrong with me.

According to my Unc, the last time I was in KL was in 1997. That's almost 12 years ago! I don't remember much from then but the current KL has surprised me. I have a good feeling about this place. As a modern city with high rises and too many shopping centres, it's really quite pretty. And despite the numerous signs reminding you to be aware of pickpockets, I feel safe wandering on my own. This city is a haven for shoppers. From the cheapest and tackiest, to the most overpriced and covetted, KL has it all. And the food is delicious! Apart from the rubbish brownie I had yesterday. That was a let down. Joma! I miss your brownies! So after getting bored with window-shopping and getting disappointed by the brownie, I headed to the Islamic Arts Museum. It was such a treat. The building is super modern with sharp angles and wide white open spaces, fused with Islamic blue tiles and carved in domes. 

                                                                                                                                                                          

            

For anyone interested in Islamic history and art, it's the perfect place to get educated. For anyone looking for a place to chill and get away from all the noise, the outside space is the perfect place to unwind and listen to the chirps of the birds from the neighbouring bird park and the tinkling of the water from the decorative fountain. I contemplated dropping by the bird park but then thought better of it. Last place you wanna be during an Avian Flu pandemic is somewhere with a high concentration of birds.

It is already 1:15pm. My plan for today: KLCC and KL tower. Later tonight I am taking an overnight train to Singapore. The journey will take me 11 hours. I hope I'm not sharing a cabin with a psycho killer. Not sure how I will entertain myself. No GAPpies. No laptop. No Yatzee. I may actually have to read a book. Or sleep for most of it. And I've decided, no Oreos. This trip is looking to be a lot of fun already.

From KL with love

It's official. My Indochina adventure has ended. Waahhh!!! Why God? Why? I nearly missed check-in yesterday (and quite possibly my flight) due to my automatic presumption that I was taking a domestic flight to Kuala Lumpur, until Steve pointed out that KL was in fact in Malaysia, a different country, and under every circumstance flying there from Thailand is always classified as an international flight. I replied with, "But it's in Southeast Asia!" He looked at me like I was one of those slow kids he may have had the misfortune to teach in Taiwan. Why am I such a bimbo sometimes? So I jumped into a taxi with only 3 mins to spare before the counter closed, wasted 35 Baht for a sealed bottle of mineral water which I had to throw into a bin 10 steps later because somehow it was potentially dangerous even with the seal on, and finally be informed that my flight was delayed after running to the gate. Aaahh!! If that bottle wasn't dangerous, I definitely was. The flight was uneventful, apart from witnessing a lightning storm. In the sky! On the plane! How cool is that?

I am now in KL, suffering from a mild bout of food poisoning. After having eaten from dodgy street stalls and even dodgier restaurants in countries that I doubt ensure that all food preparation outlets abide to HSA/FSA conditions, I am struck by waves of intensely painful stomach cramps in KL. Thankfully, it has only been that, stomach cramps. I tried not to double over as each wave of pain hit me while wandering around the UNESCO heritage site that is Melaka. I think I may have to write to UNESCO and request that they review this status, because apart from a few buildings, which I have to admit were very beautiful old buildings, there wasn't much to the rest of the place.

 

My 10 year old cousin informs me that Melaka was first colonised by the French (?), then the Dutch, then the Portugese. He mentioned dates as well but seeing as remembrance of historical dates has never been something I like to do, you will have google this info if you're particularly interested. I also asked him for tips on how to be an ace teacher. He suggested that I be firm but not too strict, fair but not too nice, and to always listen to both sides of the story. Yeah baby. I'm going to be the most coolioso teacher in Germania.

Tomorrow I'm free to explore on my own. Tristan suggested the Petronas towers and the Islamic Arts Museum. I might also squeeze in the Colonial District and Chinatown. Or I may just hang around my Uncle's and Aunt's and watch some DVDs. Ooh what to do?

Last days in Bangkok

I'm missing my travel buddies already. Is it possible to miss people who were complete strangers to you a month ago? I decided to spend a couple of extra days in Bangkok to unwind before flying to Malaysia and Singapore tomorrow to see the relatives. I'm spending 7 days in total there...I think....

After the tranquility and serenity of Laos, Bangkok is a blast of unexpected adrenaline to the senses. I was planning on visiting the Grand Palace yesterday but after being defeated by the heat and losing the motivation to find the entrance to the palace, I spent an hour in the beautiful public park opposite the palace. The hustle and bustle of Bangkok disappeared and all I could hear was the rustle of the leaves. I strolled to the back of the park and discovered an open air free-weights gym where scary looking men were pumping iron. How random is that? I also saw a man jogging round the park, completely covered up from head to toe, wearing a balaclava, hat, gloves and boots too. Military-style training maybe? Who knows? I then wandered to Chinatown where they sold tat and stuff that I have not seen the likes of since my pre-teens. And just round the corner from there was Little India. Amazing how these two nations have succeeded in establishing a presence in practically every country in the world. It's all down to their entrepreneurial nature I suppose.

I was supposed to go to kickboxing today. Instead I had lunch. I'm going to try to go tomorrow morning. So I spent my day practising my bargaining skills and trying to buy as many gifts as possible for my cousins with the little money I have left. I have a very strong feeling that I am going to be terminally broke for the rest of the year. I then went and had a traditional Thai massage to get rid of the kinks I still had from my kickboxing session 2 days ago. The Thai massage was INTENSE. There were definite cracking sounds during my session. I feel fine. Now. As for tomorrow? I'll let you know.

Stuck in Chiang Mai

The trains are on strike. So no overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, which is perfecto as it means we now actually get to stay the night in Chiang Mai as opposed to swing through it for a laughable 4 hours. FYI: I have had 3 mozzy bites since I logged onto my blog a few minutes ago. And they ain't looking too pretty. They're actually swelling up and looking quite horrible. Anyway, to more important things. I went to Muay Thai Kickboxing with Stevo. The dude who was teaching LOVED Steve. "Steve, 100 swing kicks!" "Steve, 50 jabs!" "Steve." "Steve." "Steve." At school, he would be dunked into a toilet for being a teacher's pet. I think the teacher thought he'd found his ultimate fighting champion. Even worse (for me) was that he didn't even remember my name. Instead he proceeded to call me "Lady" for the next 3 hours. But I had a lot of fun. Kick-boxing is always fun. The gym was an open air kinda setup with a boxing ring, some floor space and a few punching bags, all shaded by a metal roof. Saying that it was warm is an understatement. But the heat kept us loose and nimble. I think I drank too much water too quickly and still feel kinda sick from it. Quite a few holidaymakers turned up later as well. I guess the locals train early in the morning or late after work. I think I might give it a go again when I'm in Bangkok for a few days.

Ok, I think I should go and take some anti-histamines to deal with this abnormal bite-reaction swelling issue. I feel heat emanating from them. That's not a good sign right?

Back into Thai World

I had a shower by torchlight this morning. At 4:45 am. Why? Because we stopped over at a little village called Pakbeng last night, where electricity is only available from 5:30am-10:00am and 6pm-10:30pm. Yes, there was no electricity ALL night. Translation: no fan or air-conditioner. Consequently, very little sleep. I decided to bite the bullet and got up at 4:30am. 3 minutes later I heard a rustling outside my window. I was convinced that not only was the heat going to kill me, but some native was going to finish me off. Turns out it was the local cockerel doing his wake-up call. But it wasn't all bad. Since the heat was unbearable and prevented me from sleeping, earlier that night I went outside to a village blanketed by darkness, and watched shooting stars light the sky and small halos of torchlight leading people to their homes or hotels.

We got back onto the boat at 6:45am and finished the remainder of our journey up the Mekong river, stopping over at a hilltribe village to say hello and play football. These people live in abject poverty but were more than happy to welcome strangers like us. It was humbling. The Mekong is lined with numerous villages hidden within the thick jungle vegetation, their presence made known by a little bit of roof poking out from the trees, or footprints on the sandy shores leading away from the many fishing poles set up like infantrymen along the jagged rocky portions of the river. Large parts of the jungle have also been cleared, with smoke from fires used to clear the land billowing into the sky as trees are chopped down and logged off and the land prepared for planting rice and other foodstuff by the natives.

We're now back in Thailand (in a bordertown called Chiang Khong). Which means this Indochina adventure is nearly at an end. How is that possible? Where did the month go? I don't want to go back. Seriously. As much as I want the blood-sucking orgy the mozzies are having with me to end, the prospect of returning to "normal/boring" life in 2 weeks is more traumatising. And no more Yatzee too. What am I to do?

Luang Prabang

I'm back online. I was going to go to the night market but I've spent SOOO much here on so little, the free internet was the cheaper option. For a country that is so poor, I seem to be spending an astronomical amount on nothing. Nevertheless, I think Luang Prabang is one of the loveliest places I've ever visited.

Luang Prabang is serene and romantic. As I strolled along a tree-lined street with houses dating back to the French Colonial era, I could feel my worries slowly melt away and my heart lighten. The prospect of a relaxing massage may have contributed to this change but I don't think it was just that. There's something intangible about this place. Something peaceful and zen-like. Luang Prabang is a perfect balm for the soul. My aromatherapy massage was divine. I'd never had a massage in my life until I started this trip. And today's was the third and most aromatic. I requested the "lemongrass-refreshing" scent. Firstly, because as you will recall from my last blog entry, lemongrass should apparently repel the mozzies. Secondly, I was feeling tired and needed a wake-up boost. I fell asleep twice during the massage. But now I feel refreshed. And marginally attractive. I haven't lately what with all these bites. I hope I'm not left with scars...... Ok, no more mention of insect bites.

Tomorrow we leave for the Thai border on a "boat". The trip should take 2 days. We're stopping over at villages for the nights. I need to remember to recharge my iPod and camera as most of the villages will have about 1 hour or less of electricity when we get there. Perfect for Light Grafitti photos I reckon as the villages will be near pitch black. I'm going to recruit Steve for this experiment. I also need to stock on snacks. Oreos maybe?

Joma I love you

"Can we go to Joma for lunch?" "Do they have a Joma in Luang Prabang?" Oh yes, how did we ever survive without Joma. Joma is officially our favourite hangout in Laos. It's like Starbucks of Laos. But a hundred times better. I've had their brownie, choc chip cookies, choc chip muffin, apple and bran oatmeal muffin, apple pie, lemonade, tuna foccacia sandwich........ Yeah..... Joma is good.

We went elephant trekking and bathing yesterday. Tristan and I got Orla Thai, a 19 year old beauty that we nicknamed Chubbs on account of her neverending snacking on greens. Steve got a renegade that often decided to do his/her own thang and named him/her Rambo 4x4. Adam and Sophie got the docile and sweet Humphrey. Slow Nelly was temporarily adopted by Mark and Christina. I skipped the elephant bathing and was the official photographer for the occasion. I'm being eaten alive by the mozzies (and some spiders), literally and did not fancy going into the river where I would inevitably become the next late afternoon snack for the water-dwelling beasties. I don't understand why? Why me!! No one else has been bitten as much as me. I've also started drinking lemongrass tea. Apparently lemongrass is a potent mozzy repellent. Pfftt!!!! Rubbish. Phil reckons that I have a high likelihood of being bitten by a malaria-carrying bug. You don't say? Thanks Uncle Philly. I've been taking my malarial pills and eating my 5 -a-day and praying to God. Hopefully they will provide sufficient protection. We also went to the waterfalls. Standing infront of the waterfalls, with the cool air blasting from the cascading water, I forgot about my lousy bites and remembered how much I loved it here and how much fun I've been having with the guys.

We went to a cool place for dinner last night where we had to bbq and cook our own dinner. It was hard and sweaty work, sitting there with the bbq set infront of us on the table. But it was delish. Later we went ten-pin bowling. Half of Luang Prabang was there. I was sh*t. I reckon the mozzies have sucked out more than just my pure healthy alcohol-caffiene-meat- free blood. They've sapped me of my bowling prowess. This blows. I hate losing.

I'm off to the spa for a massage. Later, sunset viewing from the top of a hill. Tomorrow, up the Mekong in a boat to Thailand. I could go on travelling forever.

We're in Laos

We went to the gym yesterday. A bunch of us were suffering from a serious lack-of-exercise-itis, so after we were done with harrassing monks in orange robes for photo ops and other usual touristy stuff in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, we headed to the local gym. It was invigorating. And then to finish it off I had a traditional Laos massage. Are you jealous?

So, Laos huh? It's totally chilled out and peaceful here and makes a nice change from the manically crazy Hanoi. People are a lot nicer. But a lot more complacent too. Don't expect to get your starter before your mains, and your rice with your curry. Actually, Vietnam was just as bad. Sometimes they even forgot our order. Customer satisfaction ain't a priority in this neck of the woods. The scenery here in Laos is more dramatic but just as sublime as Vietnam, with dangerous winding roads built into the side of the mountains, linking us between our destinations. If you suffer from motion sickness, best to find another way of getting between towns.

Today we're in Vang Vieng. Tomorrow we head to Luang Prabang. I can't wait. It feels like the main reason people come here is to get pissed and high (sorry if you're reading this travel buddies, just my opinion). I guess if that's your kinda thing then this is the perfect place to be. Thankfully the landscape and the outdoor activities that they have here (caving, kayaking etc) make up for it.

We've been having a lot of oreos on this trip. Is it possible to OD on oreos? The peanut butter and choc one is especially yummy. I still have some brownie left from earlier today. I think I should have the rest of it later.

Good bye Vietnam

It's our last day in Hanoi. And Vietnam. Getting around here is a nightmare. There are no recognisable landmarks and the shops all look the same. Basically, I keep getting lost. And having a map that is wrong didn't help either (this has been confirmed by 2 other people in my group so it's not just my inept orienteering skills that keep me going in the wrong direction). You walk down one street and every single shop is selling door handles and then you turn right and all the shops are selling toys, another one just sells herbs, or clothes or DVDs etc etc and then when you think you've got it all figured out, you end up on a street predominantly used for washing motorbikes! Where the hell is the hotel?!! And the motorbike taxis are relentless. They keep harrassing you to take them and the taxis try to bamboozle you with astronomic fares. I've taken to ignoring them now or just shouting "No thank you!". I'm glad we're leaving for Laos tomorrow. Unfortunately, it also means we're losing a quarter of the group. Jake and Sarah are doing Laos on their own, Lee is staying in Hanoi for a few more days and is then off to Japan and Dom is off to the full moon party in Thailand. It'll feel quite strange.

Enough moaning about Hanoi. Let me tell you about my motorbike tour of Hue. Whizzing through Vietnamese houses in the countryside and local markets selling ducks in non-RSPCA conditions and muddy paths lining the high-definition green paddy fields of Hue, you're transported into a completely different world inhabited by people doing back-breaking work to make ends meet and kids running alongside you and waving hello. Vietnam is beautiful. Have I said that already? It's so unbelievably beautiful and I can't help thinking that it's all a dream that I'm here. Can't say the same for some of the people though......

One of the highlights of Vietnam was our boat trip to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is otherworldly and divine, its 300 islands covered in mist so thick and forests so green, you can almost believe that some mystical dragon is lying dormant in one of the many underground caves and lagoons. Sitting at the front of the boat with my feet dangling over the edge and the breeze in my face and hair, I didn't want the ride to end. I suggested we commandeer the boat. Everyone agreed.... Yeah, that was the extent of our attempted mutiny.

I've been using SPF 50+. Fat lot of good it's been doing. I'm so brown now.

We're going to a water puppet show tonight. Laters dudes!

Dreamy Hoi An

Hoi An is enchanting. Getting lost in the maze of narrow alleys and walking under bouganvilleas and native trees in bloom, you can't help but fall in love with this little town. The architecture is divine, with buildings indicative of the town's French and Chinese colonial past, painted in canary yellow that has aged beautifully. The atmosphere is dreamy and the locals more friendly and relaxed than those in Saigon. At night, the streets are softly lit with lanterns, with people strolling to music and laughter floating out from the bars and restaurants.

Sophie and I decided to rent bikes for the day (Sophie cracks me up, great fun having her around). We got lost (my fault as usual) and had a lot of fun cycling and finding our way back. We stumbled onto what I think was some of the local boys' football "hangout" near the river. They didn't look too pleased and as Sophie tried to make some friendly small talk, one of them just said "Bye bye". Charming. A lot like the boys back home.

We're leaving tomorrow for Hue. I don't want to leave. It's beautiful here. I'm definitely coming back if I can. Thankfully, no night train this time. The last train was not like the first one we took......... I avoided the toilets.

Hot and noisy Nha Trang

Most of the gang are heading to the mudbaths later today. I think I'll skip it and explore this "sleepy" seaside town before we catch the train to Hoi An tonight. I don't think I've been to a beach town that's so manic with activity. The beach is glorious and you can see islands covered in lush green mountains in the distance. It's a lot nicer than the one in Cambodia. Mainly because the kids were in the sea enjoying themselves rather than out pestering me and near-molesting me to buy their goods.

We're catching another night train tonight to Hoi An. The loos weren't too bad last time so there's no need to dehydrate myself. But I think we're going to be the second/third set of people sleeping in the unmade bunks...... I'm sleeping in my anti-bacterial, anti-mozzy, anti-plague, cotton tropical sleeping bag anti-radiation liner. And if the deet actually worked, I would also impregnate myself with it. But seeing as I have almost a fifth of my body covered in mozzy bites, something tells me they're sh*t.

Ok, time to get lost exploring.

Miss Saigon

Been listening to some hip-hop that my bro uploaded for me. I'm digging The Roots. Organix is an ace album. I ate chocolate for the first time yesterday since 27th May. For those of you who know me very well, this is very uncharacteristic behaviour. I'd like to say that it's due to my iron-clad self-control, but the truth is that 1) people don't eat much choc here so distribution is very limited, and 2) I've just been too hot to bother with choc. But I relented yesterday and have had a whole bag of M&Ms, 2 muffins and a lemon zest cake. All in less than 24 hours. Business as usual. I'm also waiting for my laundry. I'm down to my last pair of trousers. They're too big now. I've had to pin them in 3 places to maintain my modesty (I think we've all lost a bit of weight). I'm excited about getting fresh laundry today.

Saigon is f****ing mental!!! The city is HEAVING with motorbikes. And there are no traffic lights. You just have to walk into the traffic (after praying to whoever you believe in) and presto, the drivers will weave around you. Of course there are a few randomers who have not read the vietnamese highway code so you do the avoiding. I'm liking it here. It's buzzing and bustling like central London. And feels a lot safer than Phnom Penh. For some reason, the people seem to like building super-skinny buildings (Amsterdam style) in Art Deco fashion. Weird. Steve's theory is they tax based on width of building. Plausible I suppose.

We're getting the overnight train to Nha Trang tonight. Have heard stories of floorless toilets and dirty bunks..... 

I'm looking forward to my clean laundry.

Adagio- Barber

I've decided. I'm getting a scooter for Cologne. Specifically a purple vespa (if I can). They ride their scooters here the way I ride my bike in Oxford- reckless, fast-ish and "determined". So, I reckon it'll be muchos easy to drive in Germany right?

I rode a motorbike/scooter for the first time today. It was awesome! Sitting behind the driver, we rode up to the top of the mountain and saw the village of Chau Doc (a border town in Vietnam), surrounded by green mountains covered in foreboding grey clouds. The ride down was not particularly dry. We each had a driver. Mine wasn't the chatty type. Apart from "You ok?" when we started going up the mountain, we rode in companiable silence. Tristan's just giggled all the way. Tristan was terrified. The other drivers were trying to race each other on a single lane-two way road. Mine wanted in on it too. I told him to go faster but he just smiled. Luckily, using my telepathic powers, we came third.

The people of Vietnam look very different from those of Cambodians. They look more Chinese. Cambodians also had a more reddish tint to their tan. I have yet to be asked if I'm Vietnamese. I don't think it'll happen. But I'm going to be Honduran next time they're nosy.

We drive to Hoi Chi Minh tomorrow. Another 8 hour drive. This is turning out to be "Indochina on a bus". But the scenery is so unbelievably sublime and lush, it's worth it.

Ok, my hour is almost up. Short crew profiles:
there are 12 people-
Phil= the boss
Steve= the assistant/ surfer dude from Canadia/ "Hey, do you want me to teach you something?"
Tristan= Financial Economist sarky joker/ always hungry/ snoozer
Hannah= Northern Lass "Blondie"
Sophie= Posh (near) London Babe
Dominic= Boy from the North (Manchester) 1
Adam= Boy from the North (Sheffield) 2
Jake and Sarah= Couple 1
Christina and Mark= Couple 2

Time up!! Laters muchachos and muchachas.

Day 4 - Kambuchea

"One dollar! You want this for one dollar?!" That's what I'll remember about Cambodia. The street kids persistently trying to sell you ANYTHING they can. And there's so many of them. It breaks your heart seeing all of them on the streets day and night, and you just can't help falling in love with them once you start talking and playing with them. And then you realise why so many travellers want to adopt them, because despite having lives that I could never imagine, their personalities just win you over. And they're so cheeky! AND fluent in English. I've also been asked several times if I'm Cambodian (Thai when I was in Bangkok). I might do what my bro was planning on doing and say I'm Maria Gonzales from Mexico. I bet that could work. As long as they don't speak Spanish.....

Siem Reap was fascinating with Wats (temples) dotted in various parts of the city. But after spending half a day visiting them, we decided to just chillout in front of a lake/man- made reservoir (?). Next thing we knew, a bunch of kids had already divied up the four of us between themselves (very enterprising businesskids) and conned us into being their customers by giving us "presents". They said they didn't want anything in return and that we didn't have to buy anything from them if we didn't want to. Yeah right. Suckers!!! But then after spending almost 2 hours with them you can't help but buy something/anything from them. I'd already been forced to buy 6 bracelets from 2 kids earlier in the day and I found myself giving money for a 3rd 2L bottle of water that I really didn't need. Steve said he doesn't think he's ever spent so much on lemon tea and batteries. Sophie spent quite a lot on one can of coke. As for Hannah. Well let's just say that saying no was not an option. But that's ok. We had a fantastic time with them.

Today we visited the Killing Fields and S21. There are no words to describe what I saw. There were still some blood stains on the tiles in the cells in S21. And bones and clothes half buried in mass graves of the Fields. Yeah. I really don't know what to say. Cambodia had 7 million people before the Khmer Rouge regime. When it ended just over 3 years later, a 3rd of the population had been massacred. Surrounded by beautiful butterflies as I walked through the Fields, it was impossible to imagine that such a peaceful place could've ever been anything else. Until you see the craters and bones......

On a lighter note, tomorrow we head to the beaches of Silhanoukville. I can't wait!! Azure blue waters, here I come.

P.S. Point 2 from post 1 has been disproved. My group is awesome!! As for point 1, no starvation yet. Will let you know when we head to Vietnam.

Day 1

The smells intoxicating. The colours vibrant. The streets chaotic. Welcome to Bangkok! Where the roads are jammed packed and the noise never ceases.
And what a coincidence! My Uncle and Auntie were on holiday in Bangkok for the next three days so we met up today.

Our first stop, the precious gemstone centre where you can watch expert jewellers shine, shape and set sapphires, rubies, emeralds etc into rings, earrings. Whatever really. A place I wouldn't have considered going but it was fun.

Next, the malls of Bangkok. By the 2nd one, we all agreed we were bored of window-shopping. So to liven things up and see Bangkok local-style, we jumped into a pink tuk-tuk. It was awesome! The tuk-tuk pulled out into incoming traffic that was actually on the WRONG side of the road. But the driver was a pro and quickly sped away down bustling streets and alleys decorated with electric cables snaking across the Bangkok sky. 30 min later, we jumped onto a boat and rode down the river (dont' know what it's called) and saw a different quieter side of Bangkok. Kids training to be monks lounging along the shore. Fishermen trying to catch dinner. People hanging their laundry. Normal life in Bangkok.

Bangkok is nothing like what I expected. And hopefully so will the next 6 wks. Gotta go and me the rest of the crew now. A bientot!

Day 0

"We will shortly be arriving in Bangkok in 15 min where the temperature is 30 deg." 30 deg! Perfect! After being up for almost 24 hours, the prospect of experiencing temperatures above the UK average of 15 deg was too good. It got even better. On my ride to the hotel, I saw a bunch of kids sitting at the back of a pick up truck. On the highway. Where cars were travelling over 50 mph. Hell, even I wasn't wearing a seat belt. Mainly because there wasn't one. As we drove along the highway under the cloudless sky, the Bangkok skyline was beautifully lit up by intermittent lightning.

Got to the hotel and bumped into Adam who's also in the group. We went out for dinner and came across a night market where they sold almost everything. There was even bread with pre-spread butter! I also saw a guy selling deep-fried grubs and crickets. Tasty! No photos of these loveliness because I was too tired to take out my camera. You will just have to use your imagination.

Day -1

Ok people. I'm starting a blog. This may be the first of many posts. Or it may be the only one. Who knows? It's a mystery. What I do know is that I gotta be on the bus in 1 hour or God will have answered my mum's prayers from a week ago and I will be a bozo stuck in London with money not well spent. 

This trip will be awesome as you will be able to tell from the link to my itinerary that I have attached for your perusal- http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/ATID. I will also be going to KL, Singapore and Dubai, in case you were wondering.

My main two concerns for this trip are: 1) I will starve as I still do not know how to use chopsticks, and 2) I will end up with a bunch of squares. My brother assures me that point 2 is unlikely as boring people go on boring trips and this is an interesting one. However, he failed to factor the possibility that some boring people may decide to take the plunge and sign on to this trip. I will let you know. As for point 1, my brother laughed and patted me on my head. Saj also laughed and said that I should be more concerned about not being able to read maps. How is this relevant to me starving? Besides, it is not that I do not know HOW to read maps. It is just that I choose to read them in a different way. This way I get to see even more things as I have to back track to get to my final destination 3 hours later.

If you want postcards, then email me your address. Requests for postage from specific locations may be accommodated.

Take care guys. And try not to miss me too much.