长洲不算长 - Part 4

Trishaw ride @ Cheung Chau 

I really cant believe it that I could not balance myself on the trishaw at Cheung Chau Island ;O.  We saw these trishaws during our first visit to Cheung Chau in 2008 and this time round I decided to ferry my dear. I rem she "complaining" that I didnt ferry her while other male travellers did ferry their dear ones around the island.

We selected a shop by the sea - in fact - all the shops renting the trishaw were by the sea. It costed about HK30 per hour and the stall owner asked me to try cycle first. I could not believe it that I could not balance the trishaw. After several attempts, the owner suggested for my dear to try and she did it without difficulty. Now we understood why sometimes we did see female riders while the males were seated in the trishaw.  The "ego" me of cos wont give up so we decided to try out in the streets further up that wont "injure" anyone when I took the wheels.  I nearly bumped into the gates or benches or trees during the first few trials...and of cos, my dear was so happee that she could master it without any sweat while I sweat....

It was fun though despite losing face. Actually, I didnt realise I was a "man of pride" - like to "perfect" things. I started to learn more about myself through my dear. Even for this trishaw episode, I could sense my "never give up" kind of spirit. Perhaps, even in tough times, we can persevere becos of such inborn spirit in us, pushing us to go on. Or maybe it was just my ego - pushing me to try my best to ride a trishaw to prove a point... I admit that riding a trishaw is really not as easy as riding a bicycle. Well, it was fun experience and at least the trishaw story would be part of the fun and sweet memory that we have.  We certainly not only left our footprints on the trails in Cheung Chau, but also trishaw marks on the island. Well, next time will try again. Maybe book for 2 hours and we can go further up and round the island...

长洲不算长, 但骑三轮车也不容易.

长洲不算长 - Part 3

After a fun time resting and playing at a playground at the island, the trail continued and we passed by some rocky formation. Very nice feeling and we saw a couple seated at one of the boulders. Well, as photographers with the tripod, we quickly set up the equipment and I had to dash across to the boulder to prepare for the timed shots. As the path was "rocky", I nearly "fell" if not for dear to hold onto me Xp. Hee, the fishing guy and the boatman nearby might be wondering what were we doing and what so great about the scene - running to and fro and posing for pictures. It was really our desire to take photos together.

Dear commented a few times that I didnt take enuff photographs this trip. Hee, her words still ring in my ears. Cheung Chau Island actually has another unique and colourful form of advertisement. There were even wedding notices put up high high at the street where everyone would get to see. I wondered how grand would the wedding be - since everyone should know one another in the island?

Just a thought for us - we wondered if we were to grow up on the island, would we have the opportunity to put up such notices as well? I wondered if this was indeed a tradition - an old tradition - practised by the islanders only. There were also other interesting notices or ads - some talked about promotional makan.  Very colorful and interesting.

Some things I like best about travelling is to understand or get to know the local customs and tradition. Rather than go around shopping, it is fun for me and my dear to feel and if possible even taste the "life" of local islanders.  In fact, we followed "blindly" some locals who stood at the pier for bumboats which will ferry them to their boats. We got the attention of one boatman when we purposely stood at the pier - we got a bit paisay when the boatman shouted to us in cantonese, asking us if we were to take his boat.... to where? I didnt know.... But it was sure the mischievous part of me... Oops.

长洲不算长, 但乐趣却不少, 好希望时间能停一下, 让累了的人有时间放慢脚步, 听听十二月的长洲海风. 

长洲不算长 - Part 2

We woke up early to start our trekking on the island. We were still stuck initially without any local map but bingo - the BB house we stayed got a very nice colored map. My dear has earlier done some homework and we would explore the mini great wall trail this time cos the other side of the island might have strong waves and wind during winter season. The morning breakfast was nice and enuff to pump the necessary energy for us to start our trail. We passed the expensive hotel on the island and also passed the helicopter pad. There were directional signs along the way so easy to trek. However, it was different from the Dragon Trail where there were many markings along the trek telling you each kilometre you have conquered :P. 

Very interestingly, there were many rock formations along the trail. More than those indicated on the colorful map. There were local signboards, describing in poems different rock formation. Famous ones included "human head" rock, "vase" rock and "elephant" rock. I could not figure out one rock that resembled a cat crouching ~ so decided to take a photo to ask my dear to "interpret" for me.
长洲不算长, 但乐趣却不少. The mini great wall was quite well-maintained. Easy to walk and it should take much efforts to construct it. Wonder why was it constructed? We were the only couple trekking at that point of time - me forgot to bring a whistle in case of emergency =S. I used to attach one on my backpack (just like army days) - dunno why forgot to bring this time round. Nevermind, I got my heavy 3kg tripod with me - enuff to fend off any snakes or dogs I supposed :P.

The trail was really manageable. We took our pace and explored different parts of the trail. Sometimes, we got more adventurous and went to take some shots near some cliffs. Sometimes, we passed by old buildings and quickly scurried off - cos got fierce dogs barking at us. Along the trails, we did bump into some people - a family, a group of students and two guys. I like walking in cool cool weather - not much sweat. But must be careful though as it could be quite cold if it rained. Thank God for us that it was perfect weather as compared to previous day.

We passed by some local landed property along the way. Some looked deserted while others were very well-maintained. Likely that some Kowlooners bought the land here and would visit the island for holidays. WoW - if our Pulau Ubin could be developed like that, it would help many locals revive childhood fun and peaceful getaway? We reached a playground where we could hear some camping activities (Salvation Army)nearby. Hee, it was good to hear some noises so that we would not be lost in the forests mah :P.

We played some "wedding shots" at the playground and maybe we would select some to show our guests. Maybe. My dear too "yaya" for some shots le :P. I saw someone jogging along the way and I wonder if I would follow his jogging routine if I were to stay in Cheung Chau? Hard to say. Too lazy me but I do like to lead a healthy lifestyle. Actually, there is no need to wake up early in the morning to watch sunrise or watch fishermen loading and unloading their harvests into the Cheung Chau Market. 只要有你, 一起畅游, 一起漫步, 也一样好玩. 长洲不算长, 但乐趣却不少.

长洲不算长 - Part 1

We expected the weather to be cooler in Cheung Chau compared to Kowloon. Really, it is a fishing village and an island. Without the shelter of tall buildings, it was really cooling on the first night @ the island. It was also raining when we went for dinner and many shops had to close early due to the change in weather. But, definitely no "typhoon", not like Taiwan in 2008 Xp.

Seafood @ Cheung Chau (Opp cake shop)

We searched around looking for hot claypot to warm ourselves and we decided to try those stalls with more people. More people likely to imply better food :P. We were allocated a BIG ROUND table - other tables were full with big big grp. I recalled there was an elderly ah ma seated in the table besides us - asking and reminding the young ones to study hard and work in civil service. Hmmm....could not rem when I last heard such advice in cantonese liao...long long time ago.
Dear dear likes to eat "shh shh prawns" so we ordered a plate. I thought they would come in big ones so I asked an innocent qn how many would we be expecting. No wonder the waiter didnt say much as we were served with smaller versions one. Ouch, quite hard to peel but at least we still managed to finish the "shh shh prawns" :P.  At least, the place kept us warm during the rainy period.
We wanted to order claypot toufu but dunno why we ordered the wrong ones. We got toufu soup with other ingredients - not bad though for the cold weather. I rem the last round when we were in Cheung Chau - we didnt try many of the food. So, this time round, we, or at least me, wanted to have a feast! Hee.
I am not a good fish eater - not a born Garfield. So, could not really feast on fish :P. I like to peel and de-shell for dear, so that she could eat it without using her hands. However, she is always much skilful than me. In fact, her family or my family-in-laws are all good sea food eaters, I am no match for them. So, rather than being a "hindrance", I will wait patiently to be served instead :P. No choice, cos not a Garfield lah.

新界 - 新天地 (New Territory)

This is the second time that we have decided to tread the "not-so-touristy" place.  This time, we went to Lung Yeuk Tua Heritage Trail - even the name sound "ulu" to many of us right? The place is at Fanling and we need to take a mini bus there too.  There supposed to be several walled villages and ancestral halls dated 1700s.  Didnt know Hong Kong still has such places.
The journey to the Heritage Trail was quite smooth but we went on Boxing Day - supposed to be holiday for Hong Kong. So no crowd, quite quiet. The first walled city we saw was guarded by a big fierce dog - we have to retreat instead of moving into the city. There was also a warning sign on the wall alerting visitors not to enter and disturb the local habitants.  We chanced upon a pair of friends who also came to visit the place - they informed us that during weekdays, there would be tour guide who could allow us in. Next time bah, they said.
Hmm... the Tung Ching Ling Ancestral Hall was also closed when we were there. So, we decided to wander around following 2 caucasians ahead of us. Fierce dogs barking along the way - as usual my tripod would be a "shield" to protect against any risk :P.  Hee, I was amazed by my "spider tripod" though - so happy to have bought it as it was really handy and flexible. Dear said it caught the attention of many when I used it to take pics.

We strolled slowly along the rural areas of Hong Kong - quite peaceful feeling without noisy traffic, horns, skyscapers... I enjoyed the stroll with my dear especially during the cool cool weather. We occassionally saw some country folks passing by and wondered if they realised we were foreigners or just city dwellers coming back to home town for holidays hee. 
I was told that I didnt take "photographs" this trip ... the kind of photographs that we used to take. One reason was my dear's D80 was on medical leave - dunno what happened.  Actually, I was putting on the hat of a wedding photographer, trying to capture some nice shots for our wedding mah. Well, I did feel a bit "lost" when my Canon D400 was unable to partner my dear's Nikon D80...
At the turning point of the path where we chanced upon a group of letter boxes, I started to appreciate our own letter boxes. Hee. We saw another walled village and I wanted to follow a group of people into the village but dear dear said they were the local inhabitants. Well, must listen to dear dear and also obey the rules stated on the walled village.
Dunno when I started to enjoy looking at old heritage stuff - a different aspect of modern life. Maybe the old buildings and old way of enjoying life can slow down the busy pace of modern life, giving us a sense of real rest and real peace. Hee, I do hope next time we can bring our kids to backpack and trek the old routes as well... and hopefully I can be a competent tour guide then *grin grin* 

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]