My 45-Day Journey - Prelude

Right, so I've not been blogging much lately. Actually, not blogging at all. I shall not explain why. Anyway, I've something new to post.

I've just returned from a 45-day journey last Thu. Why journey and not holiday? Well, it's a kind of solo walk of self-discovery for me. How did I manage to take time off to embark on this? Easy, my former company decided to "restructure". So, it was a good and rare chance for me to get out of my normal life, and try to decide what's next for me.

I've got to admit, one of the places I chose to visit is what's "in fashion" now for Singaporeans: Macau. I saw the new The Venetian Macao on TV, and wow, I was impressed. The other place I wanted to go was Chiangmai, now my favourite destination. I knew I'll be able to stay there long term cheaply and still enjoy myself. I would prove myself right later on as the Chinese cities I went to were more expensive.

So, I planned my trip around these 2 places, and this is the route I ended up with:

Singapore (SG) -> Guangzhou(GZ) -> Guilin(GL) -> Yangshuo(YS) -> Shenzhen(SZ) -> Macau -> Bangkok(BKK) -> Ayuthaya -> Sukhothai -> Chiangmai

Looks like alot of places to cover, even for 45 days! Actually, I covered most of them in 2 weeks as I spent 1 month in Chiangmai. Heheh.

Just a little appetizer first to whet your appetite. Coming up next: the main course.

Earthquake tremors! 6 Mar 2007

In SG! We were on the 6th floor but could still feel the tremors strongly. The 1st tremors were felt at about 11+am and the 2nd at close to 2pm. Both times, we evacuated the building:

And that was after calling and confirming that we have to evacuate. Guess we're all not used to running. :P

Foshan pics

Landing approach. Inside the airport.

Some Szechuan dishes. A BIG restaurant. The server in the center is on roller-blades!

Wong Feihong museum. Shopping street.

Foshan, China. Mar 2007

My 1st trip to mainland China! Was there for some supplier audits. The only time I've heard of Foshan is from those Wong Feihong movies starring Jet Li. Well, they do have 2 (at least) Wong Feihong museums there.

So, where is Foshan? It's a city in Guangdong. We landed in Guangzhou airport (spanking new and huge!) and it was about 1hr drive to Foshan. Well, got to say I was really impressed by how modern the city was. The roads were new, wide and nicely decorated with greenery. Some stretches even look better than SG's roads. There were many crazy and loud drivers though. Lots of condos being built, and boy do they look grand!

There was a nice stretch of road with lots of restaurants. And a "Disneyland" like shopping street. Loved the S$10 foot bath cum massage. For that price, u get a private room with TV, a 45min footbath, back, arms, hands, head, face and foot massage. And fruits and drinks.

Photos to follow...

Some Announcements

I'm back, after a long CNY break. Well, expect a bumper of updates these few days as I start posting again.

First, helping my friend to advertise the massage services:

AmGMedical and Therapy College (Asia) Pte Ltd

Service Menu
FOOT REFLEXOLOGY
脚底反射区按摩
40min - $20/-
60min - $30/-

WELLNESS
保健按摩
Quick Picks
Head & Neck 头与颈部 20min - $20
Shoulder & Upper Back 肩与背部 20min - $20
Lower Back & Butt 腰与股部 20min - $20
Legs and feet 腿与脚部 20min - $20

Whole body massages 60min 90min
Relaxing oil massage 全身油压 $48 $60
Acupressure 经络指压 $48 $60
Thai Energy Balancing 泰式按摩 $48 $60
Myofascial Release 筋肌解松按摩 $60 $80
Aromatherapy Massage 香精油按摩 $80 $100

THERAPY 筋伤理疗
$45- $100 / 每疗程 per treatment
扭伤,局部痛疼肿胀，血肿及瘀斑、功能障碍等
Joint pains, strained neck, lumbar ache, weak knees, stiff shoulder,
sore ankle etc.

By Appointment Only
Call : 96350383

As its a training institute, all appointments must be by advance booking only.

We are located at -

AmG Medical College & Therapy Asia Pte Ltd
Blk 336 Smith Street
#08-300 New Bridge Centre
(heart of Chinatown)

ANA Flight Belly Landing

It's funny. News on similar items seem to come together. The past week or so had a few about aircraft incidents. Garuda jet bursts into flames on landing... Dubai airport closed because of an aircraft problem... And today, an ANA plane makes a belly landing after its front landing gear failed to deploy!

Great landing! Kudos to the pilot. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Enjoy your roses, chocolates, wines and fine company.
Cheers!

What's next?

New Year coming, Doomsday coming, Valentine's Day coming, so what's coming next?

Well, personally, S$100 000! There, I've said it, I've announced it to the world. I will make S$100 000 for this year 2007! I've no idea how I'm going to make all that money yet, but I'm sure I'll have the directions to get there.

Sounds crazy? Yeah... Go watch "The Secret" and get crazy with me! U can choose to believe it, or not. But it is a law. The Law of Attraction. How to see it? Here's a clue: Google video.

Valentine's Day is coming!

Just saw this piece of news.
WOW! I can't imagine getting 50 roses for less than S$10! And... "Rose vendors who raise prices of their flowers could face imprisonment and a fine, said a senior official - seven years in prison and a fines of up to 170,000 baht. " Wish we could have that in SG. :P

Bangkok Post Breaking News: "Rose sellers under Valentine's watch

(BangkokPost.com)

The Department of Internal Trade has no love for flower vendors on Valentine's Day. Rose vendors who raise prices of their flowers could face imprisonment and a fine, said a senior official - seven years in prison and a fines of up to 170,000 baht.

Siripol Yodmuangcharoen, director general of the DIT toured the flower market at Pak Khlong Talat on Saturday morning.

'Although flowers are not goods under government control, selling them at a price too high is legally wrong,' said Mr Siripol. 'We don't want sellers to set the prices of the rose too high as that would cause problems to buyers.'

A bundle of 50 red or white roses costs about 200 baht while the pink ones are priced at 170. For bigger roses locally planted, a bundle of 50 roses costs about 350 baht.

The average prices of rose this year are slightly higher than those of last year due to lower supply because of a cooler than usual winter in the North, where most flowers are grown."

Doomsday Cometh?

Have you been reading the news lately? I have, and I'm certainly alarmed at the number of reports about ticking time bombs in the world today. Any of these time bombs can kill millions. Here's the list:

1. Global Warming.
"predicted temperature rise of up to 6.4 C by the end of this century"
Earlier than normal spring in US & China.
Rising sea levels.
Freak weather: record breaking floods in SG, MY & ID.

2. Bird flu
"Cats can become infected with the highly lethal H5N1 bird flu virus, the United Nations warned Friday but advised against killing them as control option, saying there was no scientific evidence at present to suggest that there has been sustained transmission in cats or from cats to humans, said PTI Friday"

3. Superbugs!
"Smoking-gun proof that misuse of antibiotics breeds superbugs.
Medical experts have long assumed that misuse of antibiotics breeds drug-resistant superbugs, but a newly released study has finally provided smoking-gun proof as to how this occurs."

Are you scary?

Xin De Yi Nian You Lai Le!

Translated: A new year is coming again!
Yep. Chinese New Year is just round the corner. Here's a pic of Chinatown with the roads all decorated. Not only is the Chinatown area full of shops selling new year goods, so are the neighbourhood shops near my place. In the last week, the shops have more than doubled in size by putting up tents in front of their original shop space. Talk about property boom!

Back to Chinatown. I've not really walked around the old shophouses. But the roads are already closed off and the roadside stalls are already setup. I only passed through to get to the other side. Had a difficult time walking through though. Because of the recent rainy weather, the stalls have put up covers in between opposite stalls. But the covers are too low and I've to stoop down most of the time. Hope they've removed the covers now.

Fleshpacker?

Yesterday, I learned a new word: flashpacker. Well, I didn't find it in the dictionary, but it's found quite a lot on the web. A Google search turned up 50,400 results in fact.

So, what's a flashpacker? A business class backpacker, someone who has a bigger budget than normal backpackers but less time. Basically, a backpacker who takes internal flights instead of overnight buses, who can afford a little luxury when he wants it. I would consider myself a flashpacker.

Today, I created a new word "fleshpacker" for this piece of news:

News from AFP via Yahoo:
Brothel owners accuse backpackers of selling sex in Australia

Foreign backpackers funding their Australian travels through illegal sex work are robbing the legitimate industry of profits and threatening clients' health, a brothel lobbyist has warned.

Many young tourists to sun-soaked northeastern Queensland state were making a quick buck as black market prostitutes, undermining registered operators' attempts to uphold health and safety standards, the Queensland Adult Business Association's Nick Inskip claimed.

"Especially when you go up to northern Queensland, it's not unusual for them to be working in the illegal escort industry," Inskip said.

Having fewer overheads, they could often undercut the legal sex industry on price, making it harder for the state's 23 legal brothels to make a profit, he said.

"They can charge less because they are not paying GST (goods and services tax), staff costs for managers and receptionists," Inskip said.

The tax office, which recently began a drive to collect tax from the industry, was also hard pressed to keep tabs on their undercover activities, he said.

"No one asks to see their passports. If you go to a licensed brothel the first thing they do is ask for your passport and whether you are here legally."

Although prostitution at registered brothels is legal in many parts of Australia, recent research suggests the taxman's attempts to target the industry has sparked an exodus towards riskier illegal sex work.

Academics have also noted that the crippling cost of higher education in Australia has forced some foreign students to seek work as illegal prostitutes to make ends meet.

Elephant Gang Ambush & Rob Truck Convoy!

Excerpts from Bangkok Post news on 12 Jan 2007:

Elephants stop, loot trucks on dark road

Chachoengsao _ The chief of Khao Ang Rue Nai wants the road through the wildlife sanctuary closed at night after a herd of elephants held up and looted a string of cargo trucks. About midnight last Saturday a herd of 20 elephants blocked route No.3259 (the Ban Nong Kog-Ban Wang Nam Phon road) holding up 10 trucks, Yoo Senatham said.

They tipped some vehicles on their side, spilling the cargoes on the road so their young could eat, and gorged on sugarcane and tapioca.

...

Photos from Bangkok

Here're some of my better photos from my Canon Ixus 50, not in any particular order:

L: Handheld sewing machine in JJ market. R: Lunch at JJ. Chicken drumstick noodles.

L: Countdown clock outside Siam Paragon. R: X'mas tree

L: Open air chillout area outside Siam Paragon. Looks really cosy. R: 1 of the 3 witches

L: Nah, I got no idea what they are. R: Outside Central World

L: Some model outside Central World. R: X'mas tree.

L: The lucky 5 outside McDonald's Erawan. R: The road where the Countdown concert was to be held about 2 hours later.

L: The police getting briefed. R: Heineken beer garden ticket stall.

L: The Countdown concert. R: The crowd

L: More crowd. R: The group of policemen whom we saw before the crowd started fleeing.

L: Outside a club @RCA. Shld add #11: Possession of explosives. R: X'mas is over but I'm not complaining.

L: Laser show at the club. R: Local superstar?

Bangkok Post's Report

ROUNDUP: TWIN WAVE OF BOMBINGS KILLS THREE, PUTS BANGKOK ON EDGE

By BangkokPost.com

An unprecedented twin wave of bombings shattered New Year's Eve celebrations in Bangkok, killing three people and wounding more than 30, including at least six foreigners.

Authorities held an overnight series of emergency meetings that continued into New Year's Day to try to find out who was behind at least nine explosions of bombs or grenades.

Without any clues of claim of responsibility, most suspicion fell on two possible groups: Hard-core supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, or other, leftist opponents of both the Thaksin government and the military regime currently running the country.

The military junta which is effectively in control of all of Thailand remained largely uncommunicative. But the explosions underlined the refusal last month by the Council for National Security to lift martial law in half the provinces of Bangkok. Spokesmen have warned that so-called "undercurrents" were planning violence in the name of the ousted Thaksin regime.

Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin cancelled city-sponsored parties at Sanam Luang and at Central World Plaza, formerly called the World Trade Centre. He advised all Bangkok residents to stay at home on New Year's Day unless travel is essential. He met with Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on New Year's morning to discuss the bombings and what to do next. Both Monday and Tuesday are official holidays in Thailand.

Authorities in Chiang Mai also cancelled their city-sponsored New Year's Eve party, but no violence was reported. Throughout the country, many celebrated New Year's Eve as usual, but the mood was noticably subdued, and TV broadcasts featured more grim news than happy parties welcoming 2007 - or 2550 of the Buddhist Era.

The government issued statements that the situation was under control, but it was unclear what that meant. Mr Apirak cancelled the annual New Year's morning ceremony at the Sanam Luang central park to give alms to monks.

Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain all issued urgent new travel advisories, telling citizens to stay off the Bangkok streets and, in two cases, recommending cancellation of non-urgent travel to Thailand.

The explosions took place in two waves, over a wide area of the city - from the northern suburbs of Nonthaburi province to the southeastern Praves region.

They aimed mostly at high-profile targets. These included the city's busiest bus terminus at Victory Monument, the Seacon Centre which is Asia's biggest mall, the central Bangkok market areas at Klong Toey and Suphan Kwai, and a busy expressway interchange area at Sukhumvit Soi 62.

One Thai man was killed in the bloody Victory Monument bombing, the most gruesome of a wave of six explosions set off at 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Another was killed in the Kong Toey bombing, outside a Chinese shrine.A third victim died in hospital on Monday.

The most audacious attacks came at midnight, around the Central World Plaza where authorities had hours earlier cancelled one of the world's biggest outdoor New Year's Eve parties, called Bangkok Countdown 2007.

Two midnight explosions wounded at least six foreigners and several Thais at the popular Best Seafood restaurant and at the steps of a pedestrian overpass from the World Plaza to Siam Square.

Two British citizens were among the wounded, and were being treated at a Bangkok hospital, said the Foreign Office in London. Witnesses said the explosion ripped off the leg of one foreigner eating at the seafood restaurant.

Two other midnight bombs targetted Khao San Road, Thailand's most popular and best known gathering place for budget travellers, and the popular, usually packed Lumpini Night Bazaar. Those bombs were found and removed before they exploded.

There have never been terrorist bombings in Bangkok, although southern Islamist extremists have threatened on several occasions to attack the capital. But Sunday night's twin waves of bombings were different in almost all details from terrorist attacks in the South, and few believed the southern insurgents were involved in the Bangkok attacks.

An intelligence source told the AFP news agency that the attacks were likely politically motivated.

"The bombs are not involved with southern unrest," the source said, but did not elaborate. "It is a political issue, it is undercurrents" - the military regime's code word for pro-Thaksin elements.

The Voice of America reporter found a similar reaction. The US-sponsored radio network quoted "Thai officials" as saying Muslim insurgents were probably not behind the New Year's Eve bombings. "Security sources said Sunday the bombings might have been politically motivated," said the radio network.

The current leadership of the Thai Rak Thai party, established by Mr Thaksin, strongly denied anyone from the party was behind the bombs. Spokesman Chatuphon Promphan warned military authorities to be careful in pointing the finger of suspicion.

Although martial law was lifted in Bangkok and surrounding provinces just a month ago, the military is authorised to act when necessary. The coup passed its 100-day anniversary on Dec 28.

The junta leader and army commander, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, is currently out of Thailand, on the Haj in Saudi Arabia, and will not return until Thursday. Officials said he was passing orders to Bangkok from the pilgrimage.

An Unforgettable Countdown

... that didn't happen.

Well, I decided to spend this year's New Year's eve at a foreign country. And which city is happening, cheap and nearby? Bangkok!

I had a very fortunate New Year's Eve. I made some new friends and survived a bomb scare. So where did the good luck start? It probably started the moment I stepped off the hotel's tuk tuk on my 1st day there. 2 humongous droppings fell from the sky onto my right shoulder. I couldn't believe my good luck. I looked up and... you guessed it... saw the ass of a pigeon perched on the power cables above. Damn! It must have eaten too much Tom Yum. I looked at the damage on my T-shirt and had to hop back onto the tuk tuk to go back and change. At least I just had to change my shirt and not wash my hair.

Now, fast forward to NYE. I had a good but painful Thai Herbal Compress massage at Healthland for 750 baht. Then had a rest back at the hotel. All in preparation for the night's party. Left for the Central World and reached there at about 5.30pm. The roads were already closed and the crowds were forming. I had wanted to go to one of the beer gardens to have dinner, beer and live music. But the Heineken 2-seaters were all sold out. And the Singha's had a very long queue, even with the 2-person tables at a whopping 2000baht. We can spend the 2000 on drinks and food, but it's still too expensive. Ok, better change plans.

While waiting for my friend to come back from the DTAC shop, I met 3 friendly Thai nurses. Had a nice chat with them while waiting for my friend. And we got invited to join them to go see the Countdown concert.

The concert was starting soon and we made our way onto the road where the concert was held, squeezing through lots of people and narrow walkways. The show started with a speech, then a kind of Star Search contest. But only for males. All these handsome or pretty boys (they were just 18 to 24 years old) strutted their stuff on stage. All were at least 1.78m tall. And the audience were so eager to get a closer look at them. I can see there's a future idol in there.

After some more performances, our new friends told us some news that absolutely chilled my heart. They've received calls from family and friends that some bombs exploded at 6+pm at Victory Monument and killed 2 people. That was some distance away, but the implications struck through. My 1st reaction was disbelief, but soon realise that it was a big possibility. We discussed if we should stay or go. We decided to stay. After all, this area was fenced off and there were police checking on everyone who entered the concert area. But soon, we decided it was better to leave early for dinner and left the place.

As we were still making our way through the crowds, we saw many policemen in the concert area itself, seemingly looking for something or someone. Then, a few seconds later, the people behind us started screaming and running away! I was stunned. I was trying to see what was going on but my friends have already started running and were beckoning me to follow! We just kept running till we left the road and reached Erawan. We did not hear any more music and smelled some gunpowder. But there wasn't any loud bangs. So what caused the panic? Probably the crowd was already highly wound up and any alarm would cause them to take flight.

We took shelter inside McDonald's. Although we didn't have Happy Meals, we were noticeably happier after our dinner. 2 of the girls went back home to rest as they've to work the next day. 1 continued with her original plan to go another place for a party. And we 2 guys left for RCA for countdown. It was still early as it was just 9+.

At the entrance to RCA, the police had a road block and were inspecting every car that went in. That gave us some assurance. And at the entrance to the club, Route 66, they had 2 bouncers to check all the ladies' bags and the guys' pockets. Well, that, and a little alcohol, and the party mood soon got us to forget about the bombs, at least for the time being.

We were expecting a countdown, but midnight passed and the DJ did not do anything. The dancing and drinking carried on as per normal. 2006 just "quietly" ended.

As our flight was at 7.05am, 1 Jan 2007, we were planning to stay up all night. Too bad the party ended at 2am as usual and not 6am as rumoured. We hanged around by the roadside with a long line of roadside food stalls and had our supper there. How convenient. And many of the party goers congregate there.

We left the place at about 3am. Cabs were unusually hard to find. We even paid 400baht to our next driver who took us to the airport. Oh well, it was 5am in the morning, and New Year's day, and bombs were in the city.

Other than the panic running incident, everything seemed normal and calm. Even at the airport. It was only when I returned to SG and checked the news onlne that I realised that more bombs went off at midnight. One was at Central World, where we were watching the concert! I'm glad we left the place early.

I consider myself fortunate on a few counts:
1. missed out on the beer garden tables but got something more valuable: friendship
2. lucky to be alive and in 1 piece!

On hindsight, it was probably foolhardy to continue hanging out at crowded places after news of the bomb. But we should not let terror control our lives and let the perpetrators win. And I'm glad many people were still out celebrating the New Year. I will return to Bangkok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Peace~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy New Year 2007!

Hope you all had a great party. I spent today having a good rest after an eventful New Year's Eve. Will write more on it next time. Peace on Earth!