当我们同在一起

The modes of transport are very interesting in Thailand. So, thought of dedicating a blog to the transportation "thots" I have for the trip.  Sometimes, I do wish that we could travel by river boats to our place of destination. As a backpacker, bicycle is a usual mode of transport.  We rented our bicycles in Sukothai and the rates were very reasonable and the bikes were quite hardy for the rough and dirt tracks that we planned to travel Xp.  Well, I love to cycle around the ruins and I could not imagine how one can walk around in the big complex on foot.  It was important to secure our bikes together at each historical spot - Bikes locked together while we walked and snapped our pictures together.

当我们同在一起, 脚车也扣在一起.

We spotted an interesting tuk-tuk plate no in Sukothai. I wondered whether all the tuk-tuks in Old City have the same plate no. or the "No1" tuk-tuk was really the Number 1.  I thought it would be interesting to shoot a photo with this "No1" - and hence we consumed a few bytes with this "No1" tuk-tuk. Business for this No1 wasnt No1 though - as most of the visitors were on their own wheels.

当我们同在一起, old city也变new了.

Songtheaw is more common in ChiangMai. We got to share the Songtheaw with other passengers who happened to travel along the way. Bargaining was a challenge especially if you encountered older driver. We tend to support them since they were still working so hard at older age.  The driver who we hired was relatively old too, but he was a nice grandfatherly-look guy. He went extra miles by asking us to alight half way to take pictures of ChiangMai town from the mountain. He explained using thai and hand languages which we managed to understand that there would be heavy fog up the mountain which we might end up not able to get the bird-eye-view of the town. 
I didnt like to stick to timings or fixed schedules when travelling and taking my DSLR. My dear reminded me to be punctual and so we guai guai sticked to the timings that we agreed with Uncle Songtheaw. Xp. Actually, my dear is more kind than me.

当我们同在一起, 我们都可以更上一层楼.

Train is our fav this round too. Very clean and comforty - it has enuff leg room too. A funny encounter was that we were trying to figure out how to dis-assemble the tables/ceilings to transform them into beds for both of us.  I got stuck with trying to transform the tables/chairs into beds - have to give up and observe how others do it. Well, in the end, we realised that we needed a particular screwdriver to unlock the catch and transform into upper and lower beds for resting. So funny.

当我们同在一起, 一起 malu也没关系.

Like the river boat alot. It is one of the best way of seeing Thailand without trapped in the heavy traffic and heavy fumes. U get to mingle around with locals and it is a relatively cheap transport. No traffic lights, just whistles here and there to signal each new stop.  On top of that, the sun, the sky and the river....

I didnt remember when was the last boat back to Saphan Taksin which we could catch the BTS back.  So, we tried our luck waiting for the boat at 1900hrs++. Earlier we had our ChangBeer and Onion Rings. We saw some locals still waiting for boat so we assumed there would still be a boat back.  The river traffic really dies down after 6plus in the evening. Not much motor engines, whistles and noise. Chao Phraya River was serene and quiet - very different from the morning peaks.  Of cos, we got into a boat - lesser people - but still similar speed.  Hee, lucky still got boat which solved our issue of getting back to town.

当我们同在一起, 真快乐无比.

泰国食物篇

好想带你去走走...

I have been to Thailand for many times - every time I chanced upon yummy local Thai food, I wanted to share with my loved ones. I recalled calling my parents with excitement about nice local food. Of cos, it would be ideal if I could share the food with my loved ones.  I love thai food. Actually, I am a "chilli" or "spicy food"-lover. I do not eat "hot food" in Singapore cos they are not as "hot" as in Thailand. My dear can eat spicy food too. And I have planned our "food itinerary" way before we started our backpack.

Thailand local markets are very colourful. I remembered I last visited similar colourful market in Kelantan. Usually, I would walk up the stairs to take plan view of the market. We visited a very old and historical wet market in Chiang Mai. Never been there before during my last trip with my buddies. The walk to the market was a little bit difficult only cos the map we have was not drawn to scale. Food and goodies of many varieties were sold there. We saw a group of visitors learning from the food vendor on "how-to-cook" recipe. Hee, I always believe wet market is best visited early in the morning 6 o'clock but it's hard to wake up early in the morning 6 o'clock. Hmm...next time must really try and see the life of wet market in the morning. Wakie wakie.... actually I m really lazy to wake up that early.

知道你爱吃甜, 很早就想买给你...要等等一下下了...
The sliced and processed fruits should be very nice too - quite appealing. We didnt buy any in Chiang Mai. However, we did purchase some processed tibits in MBK, Bangkok. If you like Mango, you can go to the BTS at National Stadium and try the samples of processed Mango there. Very nice and yummy. You'll love it.  Good thing about processed and packet fruits - you wont get to see honey bees, Xp.

I'm actually a cookies-person too. Whenever I see cookies, they remind me of my stay at my grandma's place in Circuit Road. Grandma used to buy me nice cookies at the stalls - I could not remember how much per gram liao but they tasted very nice. Plain cookies and pineapple cookies are my favourite. I remembered I loved to eat cookies in the shape of alphabets and numbers. Good old childhood days.

最喜欢跟你一起吃东西, 家常便饭都开心...

One of the best delicacies that we discovered during this Thailand trip was from Kudee Jeen.  My dear found it in the newspaper Bangkok Post and we decided to start our journey venturing into the small christian community in Bangkok. We visited the family selling this special baked biscuit - it was known as "Kanom Farang".  One sweet ingredient that we know was 冬瓜糖.  The taste of this Kanom Farang" was fantastic when it was hot from the oven! Of cos, no venture no gain. We were nearly lost in the maze finding the house and luckily two motorists provided free transport to lead us there. According to the owner, this Kanom Farang's recipe is passed down from generation to generation and not many foreigners or even locals know about it. 

Very interesting though - the owner didnt know that their shop was featured in the Bangkok Post newspaper. My dear wanted to give them the copy for souvenir as it was of no use to us. Hee, I thought of keeping it as the copy still contained other information about the "off-the-beaten" tracks of Bangkok. Well, the owner declined our offer - probably they could get a copy easily.

Backpacking is also about trying different food - especially local food. Of cos, it would be tiring and hot to walk miles and miles but I feel it's worthwhile. The journey is as important as the outcome or destination. No matter how "siong" the journey is, we will enjoy it when we walk the journey together.

[All Photos - courtesy of my dear dear]  

清迈 - 走进另一片天空

Chiang Mai - Northern part of Bangkok - my last visit was many years back, perhaps near to a decade ago. What images do you have when you hear about Chiang Mai? Padi fields, Long Neck Hill Tribes, Fair-looking Khun Thai or cool weather?
I remembered the ruined walls of ChiangMai, one Macdonald and the bowling game we have during the buddy trip. It was really a long long time and I wondered if I could remember some sights that my buddies and me have walked past before.   

We took the bus ride (about 5.5 hours) from Sukothai to Chiang Mai new bus station (Called Arcade Station). Dear has a point that we should take the bus at the stop outside our guesthouse instead of travelling back to Sukothai bus station - reason being the Sukothai-ChiangMai bus will still pass by the stop. I just wanted to make sure we could get seats seated together - well the tour operator managed to settle that though by re-arranging the passengers (most are army soldiers) on the bus before letting us board the bus - Good 5-star service I guess.  Hmm... just stubborn me at times too. The bus ride was better than the ride from Bangkok to Sukothai (about 7 hours). Bus was smaller though and "leg room" kinda limited.  

7-11 Kaya Bread

Kaya Bread became an interesting and sweet memory as part of the bus journey. Just want to make sure you are not hungry and also dun wan you to stay on the bus on your own for too long.

Chiang Mai seemed to have more restaurants - there were Burger King outlet, Grand Canyon Coffee which I dun remember seeing last time. We had our first meal near our guesthouse - our first guesthouse with a fridge plus a small balcony. I would recommend to anyone Trigong Residence as it is clean and accessible. Some of the delicacies that we liked are the Chiang Mai Noodles (yellowish curry) and Muesli. Well, dunno why Muesli tasted so nice in Chiang Mai - frankly I have not tried Muesli yogurt except Uncle Toby. "Aroy" - delicious in thai.
Chiang Mai was also the town that we walked long long (well, the best was yet to come). I liked to take slow walk and experienced the lifestyles of the locals. It was one such incident that we went into a local food stall and saw "Jolin-look alike". It was one such time that we walked in the rain trying to find a pier to take the river ride but ended up not taking. It was also one such encounter that we went into a IT mall that appeared to have no IT shops and food court.  

Tired may be, drenched may be. No matter what condition you are in, it is always nice and warm to have a place to rest and relax with your loved ones. Blisters on the toes may be, tanning on the skin may be. No matter what condition you are in, it is always nice and warm to have someone walking with you, going through the journey with you.

We went up to the Wat in the mountain too. Nice cool feeling. The songthaw driver was quite good, stopping at a pavilion half-way to let us take a clear picture of Chiangmai Town. It was also a refreshing feeling - at least at some high altitudes above sea water - no sweat, Xp. At least, we can remember one of the many Wats that we visited. We bumped into a "chang" too - it was tied to a pole near the entrance of the Wat. Probably the owner was waiting for customers to take a elephant ride bah.


The encounter at the post office in Chiang Mai was fun too. Simple little words and simple little things - I always believe that we dont need grand things to be happy. A little card can also do wonders.  I like to plant sweet surprises - the best is the least expected moment the least expected surprise. I realised a different meaning of surprise - there is no need to skilfully plant surprises - the best way is to plant it openly. Hee! 

I dun understand why the drinks/fruits vendors are so brave. I will be "freak out" when I see 101 honey bees flying besides me. The bees do have strict working and resting hours though. I always try to keep a lookout for such stalls when we go makan.  Very hard to concentrate on eating if you feel that you are very vulnerable to stings here and there. Nonetheless, it is still a unique scene at the market - though I want to avoid seeing, but it helps to complete the picture of a real wet market?


 

重返 Sukothai

It is one of my travel aspirations to go back to Sukothai and stay near the historical park - to wake up early in the morning (6 O'clock), catch the morning market activities and the routine lifestyle of the people in the old town of Sukothai.  So, we backpacked into the guesthouse that was just situated opposite the historical park =). 
It is interesting to take a stroll along the old town in the evening or morning (think quite tough for us to wake up that early though as sunrise in Thailand is usually before 6 am). The town was quite quiet and peaceful - no nite food bazaar as compared to the new town. However, the evening market was equally interesting - we bought my fav thailand longan and most interesting was we bought local "bermudas". We probably will only wear it during our backpacking trip in Thailand bah - the donning of the berms also need certain skills - "tie here, tie there, everywhere tie tie".

绝不会忘记要看日落, 终于可以一起看日落了. 两个人, 两副相机, 两辆单车, 感觉很好.
Went back to the same spot that I have previously sat to wait for the sunset. We met a group of "khun thai" (Thai people) who were waiting for the sunset as well. The ladies told us that the scene would be fantastic, just like the postcard pictures. There was a group of family having picnic - something that I would like to do so last time too.  We did the same this time - feasting on our longans and our mineral water as we were still early. Though the weather was cloudy and maybe we might not see a round round sunset, it was equally enjoyable.
We switched location to a Wat near the pond - it was nearer to the entrance/exit and we could also capture the Wat with the sunsetting backdrop. There were no lamp posts in the park as the sky grew darker.  My dear asked me what I meant to see a sunset - must a round round red sun setting constitutes a sunset? It was something that I did ponder for a while. In photography, we could hide the sun behind a lamp post, a building or a mountain if we are unable to get a nice round sunset - the picture will be equally inspiring. Perhaps, I am a perfectionist? Craving for the perfect round round red red sun setting right in my eyes Xp. Funny that some times when we aspire to take certain pictures framed in our mindsets, we ignore or totally oblivious of the other equally good pictures that we could take. No red round round sun setting could also be beautiful as well.
By 1900hrs, the park was really dark and we cycled towards the entrance to find our way out. Gates locked and closed! Luckily, there was a small "lobang" besides the gates where we could still push our bicycles through, taking care not to touch the barb wires. Subsequently, I recalled that was my "escape" route during my last trip as well. Poor memory me.
We like the peacefulness of Sukhothai. Kampong style, light traffic, Sukothai noodles, friendly locals... we enjoy cycling past padi fields, herds of buffaloes and rivers as well as background Thai music of some open air "food court".  Teaching my dear how to speak Thai and "forcing" her to communicate in Thai to local street vendors is equally amusing too. Under the hot sun, blue sky, scent of grass, low decibels - it is an experience that we treasure. 
It is an experience that I long for.

暖暖的脚车行

"都可以随便的, 你说的我都愿意去"
When is the last time you have cycled for 20 km in half a day? We have not done so - not even during my Sukothai cycle trip Xp. Today we have done it.
The distance markings on the bitumen track, the fierce-looking "Snoopy" waiting to cross the heavy traffic, the lizards idling on the walls of resting shed, the waves making noise against the breakwater, the swings and the sand, the bright hot sun, the roaring loud airplanes... the trail from Changi Village to East Coast and back.

"细腻的喜欢, 毛毯般的厚重感, 晒过太阳熟悉的安全感"


The bikes are not as comfortable though - sitting position also not very comfortable plus we did not put on protective tan lotion :O. Of cos, I have always wanted to get a good tan. Very funny, cycling seems so "competitive" when we on the road - trying to complete the tough 20 km. Very funny too, it is fun despite under the hot sun and with the sweaty back.  Of cos, must be prepared for muscle ache the next day Xp.

"我想说其实你很好, 你自己却不知道"

The trail is very meaningful for us - special significance that we are willing to take up the "hot challenge" to paddle there and even rest for a while though resting will make us more tired Xp. Amazing if we could do our paddle when all the park connectors are completed - around Singapore. Yes, I hope we could do it one day - guess it will be fun and of cos have to prevent tanning by then.

"爱一个人希望他过更好, 打从心里暖暖的, 你比自己更重要"
Changing and playing fun with the lyrics - it helps to shift the mind from the tiredness in paddling to completing the journey. It helps when you know that's someone besides going through the journey - the slopes with 45 degree gradient or the S-course with sharp turn - and the nice food waiting for you upon completion of the journey, Hee!

爱一个人就要去cycle..........................

五月小娘惹 (Little Nonya in May)

The power of media is strong and it also exerts some degree of influence upon us as we decided to travel for a short getaway to Melaka. Chendols, chicken rice Balls, Nonya Laksa (not Assam), yummy kuehs with special Melaka "sugar"... but more importantly to experience and have a taste of "Little Nonya" culture....
It was quite a distance from Singapore to Melaka - a total of about 6 hours++. The bus ride was different from those I took in Thailand, Cambodia or Laos - they dun offer bread and mineral water - and also no local "blast" music Xp. Usually, we dun spend more than 1 day in Melaka - rushing from stalls to stalls, museums to museums just to "conquer" as many places in one single day.  This time is different - backpack "Munapong" style - slow and steady and with my camera and my backpack...
The streets like Hang Jebat (A character I studied in my lower secondary English Literature - also remember Hang Tuah) are narrow and we have to share with cars and bicycles. Most of the houses got the feel of traditional Baba Nonya style and the show "LIttle Nonya" is featured in one of the museums too! 原来屋顶会有燕窝, 我们的确看到佷多燕子! There are many traditional items on sale - something that I rem my parents have been using - traditional bowls, shoes etc...

Sometimes, old memories are fond memories that make us smile and even giggle Xp.  I recalled one of my CNY trips with my parents when our tour group arrived very late in Melaka - and we only able to buy some chicken rice Balls as supper. Well, eating 10 balls without any meat no so nice afterall Xp.
Also remembered that we got stuck in the Hotel waiting to check-in as our tour guide didnt manage to secure enuff rooms for the group - this was the "unhappy" portion.  Well, actually "unhappy" stuff is past and we should not be bothered with them - should treat it with a giggle as well. Life still goes on, the camera will still be used to capture new photos and play with new lights - the memory cards will need to be formatted to make room for new pictures - Life still goes on.
The nights were heavy with storms - you could hear the strong winds blowing against the windows and noisy downpour. Straits of Melaka - a very famous term that we used in History and Geography lesson - this trip did bring us back like a time capsule to our past - recalling bits and pieces of our childhood, well, more correct to say "studenthood"? We didnt manage to catch the 45min-boat ride but we could image the ride under the bridges.  Hmm...maybe next time we can catch the ride again (heard from some conversations from tourists that the ride is "nice" during night - like Shanghai?).
Temperature was really High during our stay in Melaka though.  Have wanted to wake up early in the morning to capture street vendors opening stalls and preparing for their busy day.  But too hot outsides as we preferred to hide under artificial ventilation. Frankly, our last Macau or HK trip was cooler - didnt sweat much even when we climbed steep steps. Maybe it's time to go to cooler places liao. Well, timely too since my "studenthood" will be "expiring soon"....
五月的小娘惹之行, 有点热, 但是还是佷有趣. 记得暗暗的古老酒店, 排队吃跟海南鸡饭不同的味道, 不怕吃得太凉的冷甜品, 经过有蝙蝠的街道, 容易迷路的小巷... 但我们知道这是另一次不同的记忆.

东京 Sashimi

Cant recall when I started to love to feast on Salmon Sashimi. Probably when I started working as I could support myself to eat it? I rem a friend who shared that the sushi in Japan is very very different from that in other countries - this is one of the reasons for me to decide to do a backpack to Japan Tokyo in Jun 08.

Backpacking to Japan - I wanted to plan a 2 week trip to cover Hokkaido too - but there was a "big event" back in office - so I could not take a longer period of leave. As in other backpacking, I prefer to do some planning first instead of doing all in the country of destination. Day One was spent in HK as I did a transit to Tokyo from HK. I didnt want to get myself stuck in Japan Airport in the middle of the night figuring out the way/train to take. Safer to do that recci in daytime - thats why the night was spent in HK instead of Tokyo :P.

Not really surprising - the Tokyo Airport was full of Japanese wordings - Have been "warned" by my colleagues beforehand so not so shocked. Have to check with the train attendant in simple English and pointed to the place I wanted to go - I would be staying in "Sakura" backpacker hostel in Tokyo - need to take 2 types of train. Lucky me - I managed to "siam" the peak hour traffic when I was changing train in the JR Circle Line. (Till then, I have not really experienced the peak hour traffic YET - ya, YET). Anyway, the way to Sakura was still little sweat only - checked in successfully but have to purchase a towel at nearby provision shop. Was excited and roamed around and planned for my salmon sashimi trip early in the morning 6 oclock tom.

I have tried very very hard to wake up before 5 am - but managed to get out of room at 6 am. (Next time, will do better when I bring my dear to Tokyo hee hee). The train ride was already quite packed even at 6 am and I was heading to the fish market where you can witness "morning activities" from loading and unloading of fishes to the sale of the fish. The market was really buzzing with activities - must be very careful esp when u stopped to take photos - traffic was fast and furious - can see warning signs of "tractors/trolleys."
I must have enjoyed my salmon so much that I forgot to take a picture of it... no lah, photography was forbidden in the stalls so could only describe the yummy feeling of it. Fresh salmon on steamy rice - yummy!!! There were many stalls so you could pick and choose the one u want to patronise. The japanese stall vendors used "lazer pointer" - customers like me would just take the pointer to indicate on the charts/pictures hung on the wall the meal u want. Simple.

There are too many stalls - dunno which one is the best. Anyway, we can try more stalls next time if we go... hee hee... just need to climb out of bed early.

应该会很好吃, 但是得很早起床哦! 放心, 我一定能把你叫醒的. 早起的鸟儿才有虫吃嘛! 要是每天都这么早, 眼睛会变熊猫吗?

亲近青色的梦

It has been a while since I wanted to visit Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. My last visit was quite some time back during a weekday - and I didnt have my DSLR and went there unprepared for a hike. Wanted to visit and really trek the area - and this dream was realised.

There have been "warning signs" of crocodiles and stray dogs - I met a pack of stray dogs last round and this time I would need to be extra vigilant and stay alert to any mozzy buzz, dogs, crocodiles or bees... Actually, Sungei Buloh is really a nice place that we can get close to the nature without travelling to overseas e.g. Hong Kong or Kanchanaburi Thailand. Lazy though, I didnt bring my long lens and tripod to increase my mobility. Hmm...sometimes u get to buy some stuff but end up not using them....

I remember there are seasons for bird viewing. But its okay, we were able to spot some birds along the way.  Without binoculars, we did improvise and make use of our zoom lens to "see" the birds. There were some photographers there, some holding on to heavy tripod and long zoom lens. Reminds me of army field exercise though.  Talking abt field exercise, the mozzy there are really "commando mozzy" - my insect repellent seemed not effective against them - have to re-apply several times to fend them off. 

Capturing and composing a shot of the bird - esp flying bird is really not easy. While limited by our equipment, the correct moment, the timing all matters. Nevermind, we can try and attempt the next time - this round would be a warming up exercise.


There are a total of 3 routes in the Wetland - the 3rd route will take the longest duration. Being there the first time, we decided to explore all the "landmarks" there - pond, tower etc. We chanced upon a freshwater pond in one of the routes and it was really beautiful.  We didnt expect to see flowering season - the whole ambience of the place was serene and soothing... It seemed to be a place in other countries e.g. national parks elsewhere?

很不一样的天空, 佷不一样的感觉. 亲近大自然, 圆一圆青色的梦. 置身在草原中, 感受花草的清香, 池塘的清静. 突然有股冲动, 想躺在花草中, 闻一闻大自然的味道. 佷开心能与你享受此刻的美景, 这就是一个人背包无法圆的梦.



An interesting return leg during our trek back to the entrance. We passed by the Mangrove Swamp and saw different types of crabs. Initially, we spotted only one "colourful" crab and actually there were many many other crabs surrounding that one crab. We got so excited about the counting of crabs as the more we counted, the more we spotted. Hmm... the childlike character from us seemed to emerge suddenly out of no where.... 

你能算出几只吗?


 

由心出发 (Creation from the Heart)

Nowadays, weekends are really precious. I realise that it is not necessary to travel far away from the country to enjoy the joy and relax. Just like in my photography journey, there are many little things that we often take for granted - but these little things may be portrayed differently if we view them through a new lens. 

I never thought that I would be making a puppet - (hard to imagine for the typical "act-cool" person ) We chanced upon an activity - puppet making using recycled materials - and the organiser actually needs 1,000 puppets for the event. Well, we decided to do one to contribute to that tough target. Have to think of a concept for the puppet.

We started squeezing our brain juices and recci the available materials. The layering of the "hair" was fun and innovative - and this suggestion definitely dun come from me. The curly hairstyle though was an inspiration. To make it colourful, we cut small pieces of clothes to make the dress of the puppet. The eyes brows were made by me - decided to do a cresent shape and the cute X eye to be comical. The other eye and the body were creation of the lady - me of cos not as creative.  Together, we gave it a name that we liked ...

从来没做过木偶，从来不知道做木偶的滋味。又一次不同的人生体验，一次甜蜜的滋味。

Catching Up - Backpacking on 2 Wheels

Finally I have a week break to do some "housekeeping" - realised that I have not updated an account of my Sukothai and Nippon Backpack last year before school re-open.  Really lost track of time at times - Going back to school is quite taxing after all.

I have wanted to go Sukothai for a long long time - it was one of the ancient city in Thai history. Rem I stayed in a backpacker hostel in BKK near the Hua Lampong Station (Chinatown) the night before, then I realised I needed to go to Mo Chit Bus Station instead ;P. Had wanted to take a train but realised that there was no direct train station at Sukothai - need to change bus to reach Sukothai - so decided to take a 9-10 hours bus ride instead. Took a cab there to catch the earliest bus but the bus agent informed me that the earliest time was 1030hrs. For thai bus, it's best to take
better class" seats - it is not expensive and u get meal coupon, drink and cake on board. It isnt my first time on long journey thai bus, so mentally prepared for the "air con" (It gets hot and stuffy in the middle of the journey, and usually they will play thai traditional music.)

Managed to check in to my backpacker hostel in Sukothai after the long long journey. It was evening time and not too bad - no need to walk in the dark. Rem there was an aerobic session right across my hostel (well, i booked an air con room - but no TV - to tahan the hot weather). Quite cozy place and abt 5 min walk to the "tuk tuk station to Old Sukothai City" and another 5 min walk to the night bazaar.  As usual, I went to search for my fav yummy thai noodles - those with char siew the best and it costs only 20B ;). Ate the same store almost every day.

Sukothai Town - most tourists will be staying in the new town while the attractions are abt 50 km from the old town - this means I need to take a transport to old Sukothai city (next time must stay near or the best next to the old sukothai city liao).  Weather was hot and humid - I needed no more than 1/2 day to become tanned. How tanned I am? Locals didnt entertain me or they spoke to me in thai liao. I rented a bicycle to recci the old town - You have to go on wheels as it's a huge complex. Nice place - at times I am the only one at a particular site. As usual - mission-based ME - wanted to catch sunset (sunrise is too early - no transport yet).  The complex bears similar "feel" as those in Ayutthaya.  I stayed at each site for a while, waiting for potential "subjects" to appear. There were school children but no monks.

The time when I was at Sukothai - there were some grand ceremonial activities going on. Rem I wanted to catch the early bus to another old complex and was stopped by the hostel owner. He told me to proceed to the town centre - there was 1000 monks procession (see my album). Okay, it was really an experience - never saw so many monks before. It was very very crowded and students were activated to help out in the whole session.  I went to get good location to take my photos.  Actually I saw many posters when I reached BKK and saw the news about the procession - but didnt expect to see it in Sukothai. 

It was a nice experience - first time backpack cum cycling. It will be great if you can travel with your loved one. We can share the joy of enjoying the roadside street makan, sweating together under the hot sun (of cos with sun block?!), and me showing off some "3-month" Thai language Xp.

倒数

Really cant rem when was the last time I went overseas for countdown already especially new year countdown.  I recalled I used to be "dragged" to countdown army outing ~ guess I was a person who preferred a "quiet countdown then"? 农历新年的倒数 - 近几年都在外国, 都跟家人一起.
I always like to spend time by sea resort. I also like to watch fireworks. This time round, I decided to spend a new year eve in Indonesia sea resort - well - a place not "so popular". It was quite tough travelling up - 2 hours boat journey plus 1 hour bus ride - ended up like spending more time on the journey than actually enjoying the sea breeze or playing with water, sand, beach...
It was however quite a good getaway. It was the first time that I was so close to fireworks - Watching fireworks at the beach is a nice experience - though can be quite risky too. It was not as crowded like at Marina Bay. Sitting on the chairs, listening to "Final Countdown" songs, watching the "long" display of fireworks - A really cool experience.
Something amazing about the place though was the low tide experience. I rem I went to Pulau Hantu before and my army buddies and I were able to observe the "underwater world" even the need for diving - Low tide. It was quite beautiful as well at Indonesia beach - the "Low tide" view was amazing as well. But we didnt take picture of it cos we thought there would be second chance the next day - Tides in 6 hour cycle rite? 有时真的要好好把握机会, 有时机会只有一次. Another amazing thing is the presence of "kelong" style hut in the "sister resort". Basically, you would be able to face the sea directly, enjoying the full view as well as "attack" by the sea breeze. It would really be an experience for us as we didnt have the chance to stay in a kelong before.
Counting down - I dont know when it starts to be part of my habit - I used to "avoid" counting down activity esp in army days. Rather stay at home and watch countdown programs. Even without DSLR, I started to go for countdown. Started to make new year resolutions, started to capture fireworks, started to find new places to count down. Counting down is a new start a new beginning. It is also a time for reflection. A time for thanksgiving. A precious moment. It is just a second away and hey, New Year is here...and here we go again =)