Happy Birthday To Us

Waterloo Ontario, June 24, 2007
My brother Pete is visiting from White Rock BC and since three of us have our birthdays so close together, Mom decided to have a birthday party for all three of us here in Waterloo. I'm holding the black forest cake with Mike at my right and Pete on my left. (Is that a balloon growing out of my head?) There are a total of 14 family members here, including all the kids. Mom put together a wonderful spread including ham and potato salad and Mike's wife, Lorrie made sushi. Melbah Toasty made her famous chick pea Indian Currie. Since I just got back from India this dish made me feel nostalgic. I even taught my family to do the head 'wobble' that you use when speaking about Indian food. It's great to be part of a family who genuinely like being together and sharing, without feeling any kind of competition; although there is the one bone of contention with the others. They all know (but don't really want to admit) that I am Mom's favorite. Happy birthday to Us!

Da Nang To Hue

Hue, Vietnam, March 25 2006

My faithful driver, Bonsoon drops me off at the Tour Bus station in Da Nang. I get on this bus and head to Hue (H00-eh), the ancient capital of Vietnam. I'm feeling a bit disoriented. Things are happening very fast here.

The only place available for me to sit on the bus is the bench seat at the very back. I throw my pack behind me and pull in. A few minutes later the bus stops and one more passenger gets on board. He bounces down the aisle to me and asks me: 'Mind if I sit here too.' 'Sure, no problem.' And so begins a magical conversation.
"My name is Foo",he tells me with a grin. I introduce myself. The next thing I know we are having a deep discussion about women and the synchronicity of life. Foo tells me that he owns a Bar in Hue called 'Brown Eyes'. He also says that he just said good-bye to a woman he was dating who is just heading back to Europe where she lives. As we get talking he tells me how much it helps him to have someone to talk to because he thought he was going to have a very sad trip home, thinking about this woman he has left behind. I tell him it's great to have him to talk to as well since I'm just heading into new territory myself. Foo has a very positive outlook on life and lots of energy. He's a free spirit. We agree that we meet each other at just the right time and although it might hurt to leave his new girlfriend it's still important to let ourselves experience the pain , not try to forget it. "We don't learn by forgetting" I tell him. He starts telling me how wise I am but I point out that I got that line from the Movie: 'Poltergeist II'. Then we talk about a Universal definition for 'Evil' that I got in a dream once. "Evil is to make less of what is good."
As we fly along the highway in our bus, we see the diverse countryside. Here we have ancient fishtail boats and modern billboards all in the same setting.

And there are apartment buildings right in the center of lush green pastures. The whole trip is surreal as we compare notes on romance and philosophy. Foo makes life so easy for me as we arrive in Hue. He takes me to a cheap Guesthouse and invites me to visit his bar later. I don't take any photos of him now but I will later.

This is my trip here in Vietnam. Everything happens so fast and I seem to meet the right people at just the right time to take the next step in my Journey.

Nha Trang Boat Trip

March 22 2006

Nha Trang is my first stop on the Bus Tour. It's the place to get pampered. It's a sexy vacation place with lots of spas, great beaches and wonderful sights to see. I booked a boat tour the first day I arrived.
We were all shuttled to the pier where there were many boats just like this one filling up with tourists.
Our guide welcomed us to the boat and away we went, out to Sea. There are many Islands off the Coast of Nha Trang, and many beautiful resorts.
The thing I notice about Vietnam is that there are many people from Vietnam who are on these tours. In Thailand it was rare to see a Thai on board as a visitor. I think you guys are 'Tuanah and Haianh Pham from Hanoi.
And you two are newlyweds right? Dinh and Minh Chau? Work with me people.
And I hope you two are 'Anh and Thuy' from Hanoi. I think this woman has a beautiful face. Of all the people on the boat, for some reason I just gravitated to these three couples. I find the Vietnamese people very approachable. I find that because of my age and the fact that I'm a bit of a geek, I tend to get along with the local cultures better than the younger travelers from my own heritage. Go figure...
These are traditional Vietnamese boats for fishing and moving supplies around. A few of our bunch went for a ride to try one out.
Meanwhile, the cooks on the boat prepared a feast for us..We were served rice, fruit, French bread and a few Vietnamese dishes that looked like spring rolls. This culture borrows from the many countries who have occupied their land throughout the last thousand years. The result is a wonderful culinary diversity. (Wow, I think all that reading is helping my vocabulary).
After lunch we had a surprise. The crew brought out some instruments and we all got song sheets. We got to try some karaoke and sang the company song. By the end of the session a bunch of us were dancing on the table.
And yes, those coconuts are real. This is our Tour guide. He will do anything for the morale of the boat. These guys were here for a fun day and we were were very pleasantly surprised to see how much they did to make the day memorable. I think I'm going to need therapy before I'll be willing to drink cocoa nut milk again though.
The water is wonderful here. It's clean and warm and very refreshing. Our boat stopped for an hour while we did some snorkeling. There is a coral reef right near by where I saw a rainbow of colors and some fantastic fish. The only question you have to ask yourself is: am I jumping into the water here or coming up?

I swam for a long time, just enjoying the warm sunny day here in March. Sorry to hear about the snow in Canada. Life's all about choices, eh?
We stopped off at an Island resort for a couple of hours. This mermaid is the symbol of this particular place.

Some of our crew went para sailing ($12 a ride). Others went swimming. I just went for a walk down the beach until I met up with the manager of this resort. He invited me to sit down and have a whiskey with him. We sat and talked for a while and he asked me about Canada. This is such a nice way to spend a day. This seems like a dream. A few of us took this round boat to a floating fishing village. These people live on the water and have a marine farm. They catch undersized creatures and keep them in netted holding tanks until they are a better size to sell.

It's a bit hard to see but this is a squid the size of my foot. If you look carefully you can see her eyes. I kept thinking of the Jules Verne book: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. I can understand why he chose this creature to grab the submarine. It's a powerful animal.
One of the women who took us here made a motion in the water which attracted the squid to us the way you would attract a dog to come and see you. This squid is very tame. Unfortunately she will be very delicious very soon.

She may not speak much English but she decided I was pretty interesting. I think it's because I look like a Buddhist Monk. We had a great time joking around and they were very proud of their fishing village. By the end of the boat trip today I was happy and feeling very relaxed.

Vietnam Welcome

Saigon, Vietnam, March 17, 2006

I actually tried 8 different times to get to Vietnam during this trip to Asia.

I really think that I needed to wait until now so that I would be on the right flight with the right person.

I was talking with a Vietnamese man in the seat ahead of me. I was asking for advice for finding a guest house. Bill spoke up and offered to help.

Bill is married to this lovely woman from Saigon.
'Lien' is a very sweet energetic woman. They live in Cranbrook B.C. Canada and travel often to Vietnam.

They found me a place to stay and took me under their wing. First, we went out for a traditional Vietnamese meal of fish and 'Pho' or Soup and other delicacies.

Bill says he's planning to take this Vietnamese 'Snake Whiskey' home as a souvenir but he thinks I should bring it back to my dear sister instead. Wouldn't that look wonderful in your living room, Melbah?

I am very surprised by Saigon. My buddy Ted was just here and he described Saigon as a dirty noisy city. Okay, it kind of is, but it's so friendly. And it's very organized. I thought it would be a place where I would be accosted at every street corner by people wanting my money. What I find instead is a very sincere beautiful people who are genuinely happy to meet me.
Now, this woman was here to sell me something, and I did buy a calculator and some disposable razors, but it was fun. But just for the record, I would put the Vietnamese against any people in the World when it comes to hard negotiating. Just look at her eyes...

Bill and Lien have really made the introduction to Vietnam such a pleasure though. Right from the start they tied me into the culture and helped me get my bearings. Thank you very much you two!

Satun, On the Planet Earth

I'm hanging out here in Satun, on the border of Malaysia, until tomorrow. Here are some hi-lights from the last couple of days...

I left my Hotel after several relaxing days in Songkhla. 79.3 kg (Now I only look 2 months pregnant.)

Major Chit took me to a beautiful resort just outside Satun. This place is famous for it's birds. My Mom was asking why I go to places with so many birds and not include photos in my Blog. See all these birds? That's why. It's a skill I haven't quite mastered.

Early Sunday morning, we visited a famous market that is right on the border between Malaysia and Thailand. It stretches 2km along this stretch of highway.

This is actually Malaysia. You can see the same kinds of Mountainous features in the background as you find in Krabi or Phattalung.

There are a majority of Moslem people here in the border towns. Malaysia is a predominantly Moslem Country.

Then we had a wonderful Thai meal. Chit just assumed we have this creature in Canada. It did look very familiar to me but then I realized it looks just like the monsters from the Movie; 'Alien' ("In outer space they can't hear you scream".)

Here's what it looks like from underneath. (I have alerted NASA.)

It's actually a Horseshoe Crab. What you see here is the Crab pulled open to expose the eggs, which you eat with the Thai salad that is packed between the layers of the shell. Sort of tastes like chewy walnuts. I kept smiling and saying 'aroi, aroi' so they just kept giving me more. The things I do for my Country...

Today was a struggle at first. I headed out at 8am to find a travel agent to arrange a tour of the Islands. But almost no one speaks English here. Finally, this beautiful woman saved my life. She is Prapapan and she arranged all my tickets as well as giving me some great tips on how to get the most out of my journey. It's probably impolite, but I ask many Thais their age. I was wrong by ten years with Prapapan. Kopt khun krup for all your help! Next stop: Koh Turutao.

Phattalung Plantation

Phattalung, Thailand, January 29, 2006

I have been working my way South to Malaysia to meet up with my buddy, Ted and his wife Bee. My very dear friend Jookie invited me to visit her home town; Phattalung; and see the rich countryside and plantations there.

This is a fertile area of Thailand with many rice paddies and rubber trees. The land tends to be relatively flat with huge rocky deposits like this one.

We started by bringing food for the monks at the local Temple. After they ate their meal of rice, fruits and vegetables, we bowed our heads while a monk sprinkled a blessing of water on us.

Then we had our own lunch. From left to right this is: Jookie, Jookie's brother 'On' and her sister 'Ten'.

You may remember these two; 'Red' and 'Green' (I promise, I'm not making their names up.) They live in Bangkok with Jookie. Jook always calls them her sisters but they are really her cousins. But what I love about Thailand is that there isn't really a distinction made between sisters and cousins. They actually act as if they are Jookie's daughters.

I tell you this because these are their parents; Aree and Pak. The family have a rubber tree plantation and have worked it for several generations.

Jookie also has her own plantation. Her sister; 'Ten' manages it for her.

Here is a tub of the rubber as it looks when it has been collected and poured into aluminum containers. The rubber is dumped out while it is still pliable and it is pushed flat like home-made bread. It is then run through those presses you see, to flatten it out.

Finally, it is hung to dry. It looks like long car floor mats when it is done. Later it is sold in this form and can be melted back down to be made into tires or whatever the manufacturer chooses to make of it. A typical family plantation like this one earns about fifteen thousand baht per month ($500 Canadian Dollars).

The other thing you see here is Water Buffalo. They use them to do some of the physical labor and for their milk (I think).

Pak is harvesting their other crop; Somo; a fruit that tastes like a mild version of a grapefruit.

Thai McDonald's: Mar27

After visiting One of the most ancient Cities in the world; Ayutthaya, I asked Jook to take me for some authentic Thai food to balance out this wonderful experience.

So we took the Bangkok Sky train to the Central Plaza in Bangkok where we stopped for (dinner) at McDonald's.

I decided it was time to get a Thai perspective on the most successful Fast Food franchise in the world so I asked my dear friend Jook to help me out.

Okay Jookie, what is your impression of Ronald Mcdonald? "Velly goood. It is a good adaptation for Thailand; 'Sawadee Caww' to greet the veezitor to reestont." Then we ordered. It was so much fun to watch the cashier explain the purpose of the sauce for the chicken McNuggets to Jook. When we've gone for Thai food she has just ordered and I've stood there like a big dumb buffalo. Now for the first time, I was in the driver's seat.

When they told her that little foil package was to dip those deep fried chunks in, she squinted her eyes and looked at the guy as if he was from Mars.

Okay, I tried the fries. Oh My God! They taste just like the fries in Canada. And The Coke? Very good. My mom wanted to know what they change in the Thailand menu here at McDonalds to appeal to the culture. Well Mom, they have a greater variety of drinks and they have a Pork Burger.
And how about price? I had a Big Mac, large fries and a coke. Jook ordered Chicken McNuggets, fries and an Orange drink. Total cost 168 baht. At 30 baht per Canadian dollar that works out to $5.60 . Is that good Kathy?

The tray liner advertised a spicy chicken burger for 19 baht. Jook read the Thai caption under the picture. Jook said: "It translates exactly to: 'super delicious'."

Jook tried her McNuggets. Fine but no big deal
But now the definitive test. What do Thais think of the Big Mac?

Hold it up please Jook. Thank you. I took a bite. The beef patties are thinner than in Canada but otherwise, very much the same taste.
But what does a Buddhist think of the Big Mac. Jook?
"Velly Goot."
"Would you eat one yourself?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Too beek."