CM/CR Trip Part 4

After the monkey cave, we had the great opportunity to visit the Long Neck Karen Hill tribes (the highlight amongst other tribes). The tour van brought us into a forested area where there is an entrance fee counter where tourist have to pay 300 baht per pax to see the hill tribes. All 5 of us decide to go for it. It was worth it, though it may not seem so at first as we had to walk up and down a long distance before we see any long neck karens. The first part of the way in were just very normal tribes people hawking their wares. We got to spend much part of our time at the end with the long neck variety.

We bought a few scarfs as souvenirs and soon its time to head to the tour van to proceed to Mai Sai Border. Mai Sai Border is close to Tachilek. We chose not to go into Tachilek, but only stay around the MaiSai part. That itself has already many rows of stalls, we could see the river and there's a bridge to view Myanmar from. There are changes to entrance fees according to Tripadvisor 

After this we met back with tour group to go up to Golden triangle. This is a must visit due to the historical and geographical heritage and legacy of opium trading. Here, one can see 3 countries join at one river mouth.

Standing here, one feels part of something bigger, part of history . With this, we end our tour and head back to hotel. The drive back was lovely with the evening skies closing in and the scenic views that pass you by. It takes about 2 hours to be back in Nak Nakra hotel. Some of us went for a round of massage. We closed the night with a great dinner near the hotel. Next morning, we'll head to bus terminal for the coach back to CM. 2 days in CR is just right.

CM/CR Trip Part 3

15 Nov-This is the day we head to Chiang Rai. We had asked Dao, our host, to pre arrange 2 taxis for us. It came for us on time and we got a good price through our efficient host. Reaching the arcade bus terminal, we found some seats to wait around. Its a good time to chill, enjoy the laid back vibe of the bus terminal. They actually have very decent food in and around the terminal, and one can get snacks for the approx. 3 hour bus ride ahead. The coach ride is very comfortable, and there are enough stopover points for us to stretch our legs and get toilet breaks. Before we know it, we arrived at Chiang Rai. Bus station 2 is the main one, and it's under renovation so a temporary tentage is set up. The whole place has a small town vibe which makes it very likeable. We proceed from there to our hotel at Nak Nakara.

Our first meal at CR-another roadside food shop with noodles and chicken rice. This noodle soup comes with blood cakes, either chicken or pig blood..not bad, in fact quite tasty. Something extinct in Sinkieland. There is a small 2 storey mall opposite the eatery, something very old fashioned. Can get some air con breeze there; CR is a little more humid than CM. it is also quieter and more sleepy, especially on a Sunday.

The rest of the day we spend in the hotel and also scouting for a good local tour. The gold clock tower at a main road junction is the main icon and landmark of CR. From there, make a few turns we found a more vibrant alley with 3 local tour agencies. The tour agency boss recommended the Sunday night market some 15mins walk down. This place is less crowded than night markets in CM, and has good stuff too. Its best to take a break in the middle as its a long stretch.

First stall upon entering-CR Lok Lok

grab a cold drink

Our dinner is something western. The waitress told us she love Singapore when we told her where we came from. So sweet indeed.

this place is at the fringe of the night market

salmon steak

The tour next day started with the black and white temples, built by 2 different rich man. The black house was abit more interesting with some live animals at the courtyard, like snakes, owls and birds. Next stop was a huge park with a tea plantation.

tea plantation

Summit restaurant selling organic produce

Another note worthy stop of the local tour, is the monkey cave. They live in a lovely place with very good fengshui; mountains behind, lake in front, many luscious trees; better than us in the city.

monkey love peanuts, and bananas

follow you only becoz of food

CM/CR Trip part 2

After walking around, time to head back to rest for the night. Luckily we carried the address of the house with us so we could show to the Songtel driver.

Night view of the neighborhood

A top-down view from master bedroom balcony

 Time to say goodnight to the world. We have a local tour starting tmr morning 8.30am and need to be refreshed :) The next day the van picked us up bright and early. We had a stopover at some small cafe cum shops. They had those trees that hung with green round fruits-what are those?+_+ Moving on to the first real tour stop, is the tribe village.

After this was the King and Queen Pagoda, Doi Inthanon National Park. Then a couple of waterfalls.

captivating dreamy waterfalls

with such a beautiful scenery, sure enough there's a Summit cafe for us to shoot the breeze.

Impressive huh?:)

The next day was free and easy. Slept in later and then went to lunch. The lunch place we had in mind was Tong Tem Toh, but we couldn't find it, so flexibility kicked in and we chose a little shop that sold noodle soup and also some special "popiahs". These "popiahs" became a highlight of my trip. I love it when  we stumble upon things on travels that turn out to be GEms:) Serendipity.

Tong Tem Toh is at 11 Nimman Haeminda Soi 13. As mentioned, we were on our way there but stopped to try the above. As luck would have it, this district is really upscale and trendy. Just backtrack of 10-15mins brought us to Maya mall-Best shopping mall with 4.1 rating (so good we went there on our last day for the 2nd time) This is a place you can spend a large portion of the day shopping, watching movies, taking photos at the lookpoint on the highest floor of the mall (Nimman Hill). 

Very cool panaroma view.

Chiangmai/Chiang Rai Trip 12-18 nov 2015 Part 1

12 Nov 2015-Morning flight by Silkair from Changi Airport T2 direct to Chiangmai Int'l Airport. Its an approx 3 hrs flight. 8.50am flight, to reach Chiang Mai 10.45pm (Chiang Mai time which is 1 hr behind) So, plus point, you gain 1 more hour of fun filled adventure.
Silkair brought us to destination in good time. Once our family of 5 reach Chiang Mai airport we started to look for a taxi to bring us to our own stay bungalow at Kamkanok 19 Hse No 259/194, Mahidol Rd.
Decided that best to use a taxi agency inside the airport, since my sis needed some time to get the local Sim card. We got a nice driver, Sam. With my sis using GPS, she and Sam maneuvered us to reach the Airbnb house in 20mins.

Upon reaching the beautiful bungalow, the look of it definitely met expectations. The host for the day was a lady named Dao. She ushered us in and gave us a tour of the house. There is a clubhouse just beside with gym and pool. After settling in, we took Sam's taxi to lunch.

Lunch was the quintessential local food of light broth with Thai noodle. Just what we needed. According to sis, it's well known, but it looked very nondescript, blink and you miss it kind of place. With a metal zinc roof to shield from the sun, the shack like ambiance is pretty cool.

Unexpectedly, its still quite hot even though it's mid November in CM. Thus, after lunch the decision was to escape to one of the malls. Central Festival (CF) was the choice since it's nearest to the Arcade bus terminal.

One of the best malls in CM, with free wifi for tourists, suitably placed rest points, nice supermart and cafes. Lack of toilets according to dad, who made the massage parlour wait for him to find his toilet, but the rest of us were fine. CF is walking distance to the bus terminal, so 2 of us made our way to purchase tickets for bus ride to Chiang Rai (CR) in advance. This is the best way to make the best of your whole trip-from CM, take the green bus up north to CR, then take a one day local tour to bring you to Mai Sai, and Golden Triangle. (Tip: Get your return tickets to CM together, so everything is turnkey for you).

Our family gathered back at CF, then took a ride by Songtel to the night market. Songtel is a good way to travel if you have 3 or more adults and cannot fit into a tuk tuk. Taxi is a bit overkill on the budget which we realise from Sam's charges.

Our dinner place near Anusan night market. Standard lineup of restaurants. We chose something with Thai dishes. It is not difficult to get tasty food. What we had wasn't fantastic but it was just what we needed; a cosy restaurant, smiling wait staff, delicious food and even a nice mojhito. The best part at the end was a cat to entertain us.

After dinner fruit juice-Stall selling mix cut fruits in plastic cups, with proper lids, all very hygienic

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Leo Ku - 情歌王 MV (1.2)

Love, friendship, trust, betrayal, forgiveness, faith, integrity..very very important lessons in life indeed..more so than anything else. I have not experienced all of them in their entirety..but have felt the effects of them..I think these are what make us whole as a human being in this life.

Thank you for sharing your lives with me..not giving up on me. It is Good Friday. Let us remember Him, and his life (laid down) for us to emulate. As important as him being resurrected again on the 3rd day, the Friday He died is most poignant indeed. Without the suffering, never will there be new Hope..

"enter thru the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road thatleads to destruction, and many enter thru it. But small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few finds it." matt7:13-14

korean drama Autumn Shower ep 1-2 part 8/14

Living in Singapore

I think it is not easy to get a house in Singapore. What talk they say abt encouraging couples to build families, are a lot of talk. And all for a bird's cage up in the sky..a very apt metaphor in my own opinion.

But yes..in Singapore, where land is scarce, we get that,.but this is not the main complaint.service is poor, red tape everywhere, I Really dunno how millions of newly weds/couples get thru it all for the last decades..but they did..and now it's our turn. It is tiring.

And sometimes u cant see the end of the tunnel. Never-ending. This feeling of Never-ending. I hope it is all worth it...I think we are nearing the end of the tunnel, where light shld be coming in. At least a pin-hole of it. Heck, I want to finish it and get on with other aspects of our lives,p...It is tedious too. Many a times, i cant even smile, or feel happy. A bit numbed liao, maybe its just me.

Let's hope its all gonna end soon..best if tmr i wake up everything is done for me...*_*!

张学友.

张学友 - 拥有
专辑:
拥友
拥有
张学友
也许上天要我看见这一切
好让我痛快地流泪
默默转身 轻轻的告别
爱恨不停 的交叠
无助这种感觉 是无边无界
告诉我如何能穿越
不能相信爱令人心碎
那种痛楚 令我对爱胆怯
想念每一夜 不曾停歇
有快乐 有伤悲 有誓约
爱越来越强烈
拥有你的爱
是我一生最好的安排
只要心打开
就能够发现 你永远都在
终于明白
只要试着把心打开
再多的等待
都为了爱
制作:俞晴 tonny-yu@126.com

exhilaration of knowing.

Writing my blog at 1.30am. its only because i'm suddenly spurred on by another person's blog..haha. Interesting, cos' it's not even by someone i really know. Nonetheless, it's the influence of the spirit of another human being on me...and the influence of the spirit is immortal. The genuine touch has magic. I can't perform magic, so i can't understand magic. But I like to see it, feel it, touch it, and be touched by it. Maybe one day when i die, i will truly understand why i am living. Maybe the core of my existence might illuminate me for a second and then i am gone, with the exhilaration of knowing.

火花的爱情.

烟火会那么迷人, 是因为它在自己最美丽的那一刻, 就消失了.

其实, 我们该凝视的, 应该是那沉没又寂静的黑夜.

因为, 是它, 让花火燃烧着自己, 把最闪耀的颜色发光, 发亮.