home for the holidays

my family celebrates no holidays, barely sees each other, and lived in across the board in chicago, san francisco (until recently i moved back down to so cal), torrance, and london. that being said, maybe it is this distance that makes our reunions that much more special. this past holiday season we were all under the same roof for 1 week, and 1 week only. that 1 week though, had enough food to make up for christmas, all 5 of our birthdays, AND chinese new year.

and let me introduce you to telephone pictionary. in rotating order, one person writes a phrase, the next person has to try and draw it, the next person has to try and write what phrase they think it means, the next person has to try and draw it again…and so on

highlights:
photo of low battery indicator — take a picture — taking a picture photo
bullet that looks strikingly similar to a wind cone…. after “beat the bullet” — drying hair
milk the cow — photo — going down the drain
open sesame — photo — burning hand
the WHOLE “stitch in time” sequence to “cleaning your teeth” AHAHAHHAAHAH
“a star is falling on your head” ROFL
Mcdonald’s slogan “you’re way, right away” ….you’re way????

Huang Long “Yellow Dragon” Valley

FINALLY, i got around to uploading my photos from the last leg of my trip in China where i joined up with my parents first in Shanghai, and then moving on to Huang Long, Jiu Zhai Gou, and Huang Shan. The following photos are from the day we spent at Huang Long.

highlights:
-flying into Huang Long Jiu Zhai Ji Chang (yellow dragon nine village airport???) equipped with shorts, a t-shirt, and my rain jacket only to step outside into the mountains and find that it’s foggy and 37 degrees.
-finding out that all the buses aren’t running any more because it’s too late and now we have to hire a cab for 10x the price
-riding in the craziest taxi ride of my life. ridiculously winding roads amidst 10ft visibility, slick surfaces, and numerous road work construction sites. it seems that chinese people don’t believe in an 8 hour work day.
-seeing my parents so amazed that our taxi driver didn’t drive off a cliff that they ended up hiring him for the next 3 days
-walking into our hotel (swearing that we were the only ones staying there) and seeing this in the bathroom

-using a heater that didn’t work, hot water that was non existent, and 3 comforters. The TV on the other hand had 100 channels of cable, which just goes to show that TV is an effective method towards the prevention of insanity
-eating 2 hichews for dinner because everything was closed…asking my dad if he wanted any, him saying no, and then him eating 5 more later on that night
-grubbbbbbiiiin on the most gangster breakfast i’ve ever had in my life. No joke we had PLATES of “bao”, veggies w/ chili peppers (sichuan province ), and a pot of soup big enough for at least 30-40 bowls. i SWEAR i am not kidding you…should’ve taken a picture.

So I have a love hate relationship with China. I hate the dirty streets, the spitting, the snot rockets, the stench, the crowds, the pushing/shoving, the monsoon and summer seasons etc. but then i visit places like Huang Long and i fall in love all over again. Jiu Zai Gou and Huang Shan photos to come.

enjoy! (as always, if you want to see more, check out my flickr)

they have all these nice boardwalks laid out for you…that are quite enjoyable until you realize how they’re built. geez these guys are all like 60 years old

the main attraction.

cascading limestone pools

Elephants

photos from my time at the Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Very early on in my trip but still one of the most impactful days

This photo is of an elephant named “Hope” who was found alone hiding under a shack at under a year old extremely malnourished. Lek (owner of the Elephant Nature Park) ended up sleeping and taking care of him for days until finally taking him back with her to the Nature Park. It’s an amazing story about the trust formed between animal and human, and as equally awesome, the progress of an untrusting young elephant growing into a new elephant family.

you can read about it here: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/herd/hope.htm

This is a photo of Ko Phi Phi from level 2 of the viewpoint trail…there was 1 more i believe…that was higher up but by the time I found the trail i had all of 15 minutes left. I asked a nice lady how long it would take me to get up and she told me 45 minutes. ppssshhh up and back in 15. now i was wearing flip flops and it was at least 95 degrees, so basically running required me taking off my slippers and running barefoot. not fun. i could ring my shirt out by the time i got back too! anyways, somehow i forgot to upload this with the rest of the Ko Phi Phi photos…

Welcome to Railey. Rock climbers paradise…seriously. you get to climb on that stuff, actually, you get to climb ALL over that stuff. AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL. too bad i had the flu and mono at the same time…not to mention foot infection. It’s bad enough that I was feeling like crap, but to have the other girl I was climbing with completely show me up…humbled

Ko Phi Phi part 1

If I wasn’t strapped for time I would’ve loved to spend a few nights on the island of Phi Phi to rest and relax, but as always…when traveling, time is always short. Instead these photos are from a one day boat tour of Phi Phi and some surrounding areas.

Quick fact: There are actually two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. Don is the one everyone knows and is the bigger of the two. Ley is much smaller and “untouched” since visitors are not allowed to stay overnight.

Obviously Phi Phi is more expensive than the rest of Thailand but when you compare it to the other tropical island locations of the world, it really is a bargain.

Khai Island

The following are of numerous limestone crags and inlets near Ko Phi Phi Don/Ley

cove used for collecting swallow nests to sell to the Chinese

Those who know me, know that I love monkeys. One of my newer fascinations with capturing them on camera is their human like mannerisms that they display at times. I find it entertainingly amusing

Phuket

Pronounced “poo ket” …just to clarify, and actually, Phuket is an island. It’s soooo big though, that the “ko” usually placed in front of island names is just dropped.

I stayed in the city of Phuket Town which is a little bit inland and near the east coast of the island. It’s probably the cheapest and most cultured city on the island. If you’re up for all the ladyboy/party scene then head to Pa Tong, if you want the ridiculously beautiful beaches with the many tourists that come along, make sure to head to Karon or Kata…but, if you’re on a budget, do what I did and stay in Phuket town and rent a scooter for 5 bucks and take a joy ride around the whole island topped off with a sunset viewing at Prom Thep

These are marble tiles you can purchase and write/draw on them with a promise that they will be used on the actually Buddha statue. They are a way for the monks to fund the ridiculously beautiful and likewise, expensive, project

View from the top of the hill where the Big Buddha sits. The best panoramic view on the whole island

The Big Buddha

Beach of Karon

More beach at Karon

From farthest to closest, the beaches of Karin, Karon, and Kata

Random beach near the Prom Thep Cape

Random guy “Tiger” who i met walking down the fisherman’s path to watch the sunset. Took and picture for him and next thing you know I was chilling with him and his buddies haha. They ended up inviting me over for dinner after the sunset since it was Ramadan. It was an awesome experience to have a home cooked meal!

Sunset at Prom Thep Cape

Sunset at Prom Thep Cape

Sunset at Prom Thep Cape

Home cooked meal with family and friends. Indian curry, Chinese mushrooms and vegetables, Thai Fish topped off with a whole bag of mangosteen at the end

with the whole gang

after all of us tried switching places in between shots

the creepy hallways of On On Hostel in Phuket Town. apparently this placed was a featured location in the movie The Beach.

what $6 a night will get you

off to the beaches

After my time in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Kanchanaburi it was time to rest my traveling feet with some welcomed sand and sunshine! I made my way down the east coast through the beach cities of Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan and then to the island of Koh Tao for some diving.

Prachuap Khiri Khan

Unfortunately the weather was less than ideal so i had to exclude the skies from most my shots on this day

tiny little holes for tiny little crabs to hide under

my single gear and crookedly seated $2 rental for the day. basket for the major win!!

once the sun disappears all the boats turn on these green lights. pretty cool. also my view while enjoying my friend cod and mango salad

enjoying a cool night’s drink on Sairee beach at my dive school’s bar

and then wake up tooooooo…

the beach is so shallow and flat that when the tide recedes it goes ssssupppper far back.

sexy water

sunset

some B+W

Petronas Towers from the park behind the mall

Petronas Towers from the front

Petronas Towers

View of Shanghai and The Bund from the Jin Mao Tower

Intersection in the French Concession in Shanghai. And no, I have no idea where he puts his feet while he rides…

Erawan

More photos from my stay in Kanchanaburi.
-the seven tiered waterfalls of Erawan
-sunset over the river Kwai

a perfect spot to take a self portrait…or so i thought. the branch ended up having a lot more flex that i assumed it would haha and almost fell all the way in at first.

ridiculously turquoise colored pool at the last tier of the falls. The color of the pool in this photo is completely untouched…lots of little fish to nibble on your feet too

the 2nd tier and probably the most beautiful in my opinion

finishing off the day on the dock watching a sunset over the river Kwai

Tiger Temple

Here are the photos from my visit to the Tiger Temple. It’s best to start from the nearby city of Kanchanaburi most famously known for the River Kwai and the Death Railway. The Death Railway was built using many Chinese and other POWs subject to the Japanese who had recently invaded Burma and wanted a way to keep their supplies up from Thailand. Most of you probably know the River Kwai March (often whistled)

If you stay at Jolly Frog Hostel you can get a single room w/ fan for 70 Baht (2.27 USD) and get a plate of Rad Nah (stir fry rice noodles in gravy) and a bowl of pork soup at their in house restaurant for another 70 Baht!

Because we both have the same face in this one

Because their paws are super cute

Little one finally got tired after all that play

journey’s end

I originally planned for 5 months here in asia, and i packed accordingly. Ends up I’m back in LA as of today, just a little over 9 weeks after first leaving for Vancouver (and consequently it looked like a bomb went off in our hotel room because I had so much stuff lying around everywhere…). I decided just a few days before leaving to Asia to start a business with a buddy of mine and if we’re to try and get it up and running this school year, I definitely didn’t have the luxury of traveling around until Christmas.

Ok that being said, I’ll be moving back to the OC area in Irvine. You OC people lets catch up and no more free housing for those of you visiting SF

As you all know, China still holds a tight reign on certain activities in the country and internet is one of them. Facebook, myspace, youtube, hulu etc. are all blocked in China. I wasn’t thinking and never even thought about setting anything up to make myself “anonymous” (via proxy, vpn, or some sort of tunnel) soooo i had no access to any of those…not to mention that anything you do online in China is more than likely being “watched” so i basically didn’t use it much at all except to read the news. I think i should change a few of my login passwords when i get back though (i’m not kidding).

Travels-So what the heck has happened in the past 2-3 weeks?
-Left Koh Tao with a ticket with Songserm (boat company) that was supposed to leave at 1000 and arrive at Phucket Town at 1930.

-what happened? Hopped on the boat at 1000…which ended up first stopping at Koh Pha Ngan where we had to get off the boat and stand outside for half an hour, then get on another boat to Koh Samui before finally arriving at the pier near Surrat Thani. Get on a shuttle to take us to the city bus station.

-Surrat Thani is only 20km away so I figured it would take 20 minutes at most to arrive. An hour and a half later we get to a “bus station” where we have to sit around for another half hour (I ended up playing hold em poker with a lovely couple from Freemont, Ca…and fake bets hahahaha “i raise you…1 million baht!!). Finally a dinky little minivan pulls up and we finally get on our way to Phuket.

-The sign says 4km to Phuket town!!! but we turn off to a travel agency where they try and arrange us hotels for the night…and this was where all hell broke loose. Everyone in the van at this point (it was 9pm already) was getting very very agitated and long story short it ended with a lot of yelling, cursing, and a “get out of my country” …we get back on the road and turn AWAY from Phuket Town and head to Patong…

-We arrive in Patong around 10pm and I say to myself forget this (the bus driver would then go to Karon and Kata before returning back to Phucket Town), get off with the other who are going to Patong and end up just staying there for the night and taking a 1 dollar bus ride to Phuket Town the next day.

-(Ends up even though I bought the ticket with Songserm, I changed companies on this trip 3 times so by the end of the trip, whatever happened was definitely not what was promised in the beginning hahaha)

-Spent time in Phuket exploring all the beach cities, big buddha, and watching the ridiculously beautiful sunset at Prom Thep where I met a lovely muslim family that invited me over dinner after the sunset (Ramadan). Also got a chance to tour around some of the famous Koh Phi Phi islands (ley and don).
-made my way to Railey Bus to Krabi Town, Song Thaew to Ao Nang, long tail boat to Railey.
-Left Railey to Hat Yai…long tail to Ao Nang, Song Thaew to Krabi town, bus to Hat Yai, motorcycle taxi to train station, only to find out the train is sold out for the next couple of days but there is 1 seat left for the train that day leaving in 5 minutes. sooo i end up just hoping on the train (after traversing over the train tracks and a few train cars themselves) and making my way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that day. Estimated arrival time, 8am. Actual arrival time, 4:30am. People say to try out all the forms of transportation in Thailand and somehow i managed to hit them all in one day

-Kuala Lumpur-Stayed in China Town at the Red Dragon (come on, how could i not?). Ate won ton, canto style fried noodles, and jook every day. Spent 3 hours at Low Yat Plaza (think an 8 story mall with only electronics…and you can bargain), shopped at some other ridiculously big malls, and checked out the Patronas Towers. Each day was highlighted with the bed time stories, from the old australian man in the bunk next to me, about all the shit he’s dealt with while traveling (excuse the language, i think he rubbed off on me haha). It was hilariously entertaining but made me wonder at times why he continued to travel so much…

-Singapore Stayed in little India at the Inn Crowd. Continued to eat soup noodles, rice dishes, and some shaved ice here and there Went swimming every morning (and by morning i mean 11am) at one of the many public pools. $1 Singapore dollar for entry to an olympic sized pool!! shopped at some more electronic plazas and sampled some local indian fare. Took a kick scooter tour with the hostel which was amazingly fun, highly recommended, and free! It’s the only hostel that does it and let me tell you, there is nothing like scootering around the streets of Singapore in and out of cars, on the sidewalks, in the underpasses, in the malls…and observing the stares you get from everyone else! checked out the night safari as well which was pretty dope. Highlights were the flying squirrels (they’re the size of large cats…no joke), sugar babies (they teleport from branch to branch), and the bat cave (there are bats everywhere! and they have the largest bats in the family there too…they’re also the size of cats)

-then i went back to HK and to China for a week and a half. Went to the Expo, Huang Long, Jiu Zai Gou, and Huang San. All I’m going to say is that of all the countries, cities, natural parks that I’ve ever been to, Jiu Zai Gou ranks as the most beautiful place I have EVER been to. The only places that might be able to top it, and that I have yet to visit, are Patagonia, Havasu, and the Amazon

Alright, I’m sure I missed a lot but that’s what I get for not updating regularly. Sorry The good news is that I’m finally back and can get to uploading my photos from the dslr. That being said, look forward to the many more posts to come with the real photos from my journeys.