In my next life I want to be a Japanese tourist!

No kidding.  Japanese tourists really have it down.  I’m jealous.

Think about it:  they’re everywhere.  You could be in the middle of arctic Canada watching the Northern Lights or wandering the Beriloche region of Argentina, and, inevitably you will encounter a Japanese tour group.  Usually led by a man in a suit carrying a little flag or an umbrella with cat ears on it, something so that he doesn’t get lost in the crowd.  I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, that the Japanese are culturally obligated to explore this world, or if it’s down to sheer population (there’s only so much room in Japan, so 30% of them must be on vacation at any given time? Yes, I’m kidding.  Sort of), but they just seem to appear in more places all the time than any other culture.

It could also be that they’re easier to notice, too, as they tend to travel in large groups.  This is a great idea.  There’s nothing more fun then hanging out with a whole bunch of your friends in a cool corner of the planet, the memories you’ll share can last a lifetime.  The only downside to large groups is that the logistics of arranging them are a royal pain, as, in my experience, as soon as you find a date that works for 80% of the group the other 20% will not be able to go/find it too hot at that time of the year/be called for jury duty, and then the group that was alright with the date in the first place won’t want to go without them, so you scrap the plans and start again.  After three or four attempts at this, most groups just say screw it, divide into smaller two to six people groups and each get the vacation they want.  The Japanese just seem to manage the group dynamic so much better.  If there’s a secret, please share it with me, because I’m dying to know.

There’s another reason why I tend to notice Japanese tour groups, too: their fashion sense.  It’s insane.  In the best possible way.  They just don’t play by the same fashion rules that us boring westerners do, and it rocks.  I was walking downtown Vancouver the other day and was passed by a tour group entirely made up of Japanese students in their late teens/early twenties, and I had to stop and marvel.  It was hot and sunny, and there was a girl in a floor length lace dress (housecoat?) with cowboy boots and a giant flowered hat, while her friend was in rainbow striped leggings and a floral blouse, and the guy behind them was wearing gangster baggy jeans, high-tops and a frilly tuxedo shirt. If I tried to wear any of that crap someone would ask me if I got dressed by grabbing random things from the bargain bin at Value Village and then probably ask me if I needed a lift to the halfway house, but on these uninhibited kids the looks worked. I’m gobsmacked.  And totally envious.  Because they looked so purely, truly happy.

And then there’s the photo thing.  At any given moment there will be 400 Japanese tour groups around the world posing for photos.  Every ten minutes they must stop and take a giggling, squealing “look where we are now!” photo. While flashing the “peace sign”.  Anything can be the subject of the photo, as pretty much everything this world has to offer is cool enough to be commemorated in your digital camera.  I work in a mall that, for all intents and purposes, looks exactly like every other mall on earth, and six months ago we had a tour group walk through the mall and they posed for group photos in front of our boring travel agency office window, the mall directory, the water fountain… and they had the same enthusiasm for that as they would if they were in front of Buckingham Palace or the Arc de Triumph.    Photo finishing companies in Tokyo must be rolling in the cash!  Now that’s how to make a buck, let me tell you.

I’m inspired.  I want to travel the world while having a joyous, “I don’t care what anyone thinks” attitude and taking ten million photos.  So if you’ll excuse me, I need to charge my digital camera, round up some friends, don my duck hat and see the world.

Peace sign.

Tags: camera, fashion, funky, groups, Japanese, tourist, tours

I want to go to Vietnam for the food.

               Yeah, I know, I’m thinking with my stomach again.  But blogging about food has so many fewer calories than actually eating it, so it’s worth it.  Plus, this keeps me on my Jillian Michaels meal plan (that I’m following loosely, with emphasis on the “loose”, but that’s another blog altogether).  So anyway, back to the topic at hand: I have a craving for Vietnamese Pho, and I’m tired of settling for the yummy westernized stuff they serve in Vancouver.  I want real Vietnamese food, and the only way I can get it is to actually go to Vietnam.  There it’s just called food.  Alas, I am still in saving mode after the last trip, and am already paying off the next (California in September – stay tuned!), so my Pho craving will have to wait until next year, at least.  Big pout.  In the meantime, lets all take a moment and fantasize about that cuisine you love and can’t wait to try the authentic version of, or that plate of steaming awesomeness you once had and wish you were back there again. 

                   One of my clients told me, which is probably why this is on my mind in the first place, that he was once in Texas and had a steak so good he actually cried.  I, of course, told him he was a lunatic.  Kidding.  I just thought it.  He had a point though, global cuisine can transform a vacation into an experience.  The local delights are as much of a cultural experience as a dance performance or a museum, but they can be much easier to find and, depending on your tastes,  either way cheaper or waaaaayyy more expensive. 

                Some of the best food in much of southeast Asia can be found at street carts for next to nothing, but it’ll keep you coming back for more.  When I was in Bangkok there was this cart on the corner near my hotel that was little more than a single burner run by jumper cables hooked to a car battery, and there was this real and very dead rooster head hanging from the side, but every morning the line up was practically around the block for a container of their stir fry.  I never tried it, the combination of the line length, the rooster head, and my weenie Canadian palette made me chicken out, but I still think about it, and vow that if I’m ever back there I’m totally eating from the rooster guy’s cart.  If the locals like it, it has to be good.

                  What’s the deal with Korean Kimchi, anyway?  It’s just fermented cabbage buried in a vat underground for like six months, but every time I’ve been out for Korean food, they use it on everything.  I have not acquired the taste for it.  To me it’s like sour… something nasty… but I can’t help but wonder if the stuff you’ll get on your plate of braised short ribs in Seoul would be so much better.  Does the shipping process make it nastier?  Is it less pungent straight from the ground?

            Mmmmm… chicken tikka masala…. another of my faves.  Admittedly, the BF does cook one hell of a home version, but it blows my mind thinking of the layers of rich flavour that can only come from a spice mix hand-ground daily by the women of the village.  Yum.  Just wait until I find myself in India one day and all the spices are ground by your standard coffee grinder, but in the interim I will happily allow my mind to wander to the romantic fantasy I have created.  Besides, I’d go to Vietnam before India, the flight is shorter

              So tell me, what foods would you love to try fresh from the source?

Tags: eat, Food, interesting, kimchi, rooster, stomach, Texas, Thailand, travel, Vietnam, weird

If you won the lottery…

           So, tomorrow’s Lotto Max draw is worth CAD$50 million.  With a carrot like that dangling in front of me, I can’t help but start daydreaming.  If I had that money, what would I do with it?  I’ve been asked this question tons of times over the years, and my standard answer is “I don’t know, but I’ll send you a postcard when I get there.”  I’d be on a plane so fast my clothes wouldn’t even have had time to crease in my suitcase.  But that poses the bigger question, if you had unlimited funds, where would you go?

             For me, someone who plans her own vacations on a daily basis (I’m not sure this is healthy anymore…) it’s a tough decision.  Of course, I eventually want to go everywhere, but you have to start somewhere, so you might as well start off with the important places on your to-see list (the ones underlined and bolded with the little stars scribbled beside their names). 

              Tokyo.  Definately Tokyo.  If you’ve read my other blogs you know that I love me some Asia, and nothing looks more incredible than Tokyo.  The colours, the people, the food.  I want to get lost at the Shibua Scramble crossing.  Plus, they have a Disneyland.  With that checked off, I would only need to go to Florida and I’d have seen them all.  And since I was already in Asia, might as well hop on down to Vietnam and Cambodia, two places that not only look cool, but that I’ve heard nothing but incredible reviews about from clients.  Everyone says without fail that the people are just so unbelievably friendly.  And Angkor Wat’s there.

            And for something completely different, I’d go to Rio.  Climb Sugarloaf mountain, visit with Christ the Redeemer, learn to samba and wear feathers on my head.  Then down to Iguassu falls to see one of the most incredible waterfalls.  Another skip and I’d be in Buenos Aires, tango-ing away and eating at the restaurant where a bar code tells you exactly what cow your steak came from (that’s right, specific cow, not just farm) so you know it’s perfect.

          And Venice.  Gondola-ing along the canals and wearing amazing masks as I watch Murano glass being blown.

            And finally, topping my must-see list is Cairo.  I love Egyptian history and archaeology, hell my cat’s even named Cairo.  I want to stare in awe at the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Karnak temple, the crazy cab drivers. 

         So basically, I still can’t decide where I would go first if I win that jackpot tomorrow night, but you can bet it’s going to be fantastic! 

 Where would you go?

Tags: amazing, Angkor Wat, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Cambodia, dance, Disneyland, dreams, Egypt, Food, glass blowing, Iguassu Falls, masks, money, pyramids, Rio de Janiero, Sphinx, Tokyo, travel, Venice, Vietnam

Chiang Mai night market – Amazing!

            It was probobly the friendliest shopping experience I’ve ever had, and it involved bartering.   I know, I wouldn’t have believed it either, had I not experienced it.  In fact, I found myself wandering around the market night after night and waiting for the in-your-face sales tactics I’d experienced in other night markets around the world,  but never finding any.  By just being nice, the stall-keepers had sold me on the Chiang Mai night market, and I loved it.

           The market itself, no necessarily the items for sale, was the attraction.  It’s beautiful, a crazy maze of colours, textures, lights, people and sounds, everything brighter, louder, more sparkly than it’s predecessor.  It’s quite spread out as far as night markets go, although in places you’re still inevitably squished up against the other shoppers/walkers/stall walls (but then again, that just adds to the street market experience), and it’s large square footage means if you can’t find it here, you don’t need it.  Sure, most of the wares on offer are souvenir kitsch – carved elephants, Thai pillows, T-shirts with the Chiang Beer logo on them –  but it’s fun as hell to buy it.  One of my favorite things I’ve bought anywhere is my intricately detailed tuk tuk sculpted from a Coke Light can, some wire and a couple of buttons.   Carved soap was also a huge hit (we bought 5), where the artisan takes your standard drugstore bar of Dove and carves and paints it into a stunning orchid or mum or random pretty flower, then safely puts it in a small laquered box.  They look great on display, and it’s also good to know that in case of a dire soap shortage, I have a backup.

           Bartering scares me.  I know a lot of people who love it, who attack bartering as a game and will do almost anything to come out the victor, but I always get overwhelmed by guilt and knowing that the item advertised for CAD$3 would be at least CAD$15 at home, I’m willing to pay the full price.   Don’t get me wrong, I always barter, but I’m a soft sell.  I think that’s why the Chiang Mai market and I clicked.  The salespeople, being salespeople, would call out for your attention, but all you had to do was shake your head a polite “no” and they left you alone.  I’ve been followed by annoying bootleg DVD pushers in Kuala Lumpur, so this was a welcome surprise.  Not once did we have to pretend to be deaf (man, our sign language is so bad we’d probobly accidentally insult the royal family and someone’s dog) and could wander around for hours taking in the smells, sights and ambiance.  The only people that were kind of in your face were the hilltribe women selling the wooden frogs that if you ran a stick up and down their backs, they croak.  The women themselves were equally as friendly as the other salespeople, but that damn frog sound will follow you around for days!

       If you ever visit Chiang Mai and you don’t visit the night market, you’re doing yourself an injustice.  Even if you don’t like to shop, it’s a place that can’t be missed.  I’m already trying to figure out when I can go back!

Tags: bartering, beautiful, BlogSherpa, carved soap, Chiang Mai, coke light, elephants, friendly, frogs, fun, hilltribes, night market, shopping, souvenirs, Thailand

Disneyland smackdown – California v. Paris v. Hong Kong

           Yep, I’m a dork.  Let’s just get that out of the way right off the bat.  I unabashedly love Disneyland, have been more times than I care to admit - and counting.  It’s pure fun.  Hell, just hearing the Disney music playing as I wait to enter brings a huge grin to my face.  Through my travels I have been lucky enough to visit parks on 3 continents (Disney World in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland are still on my hit list, but I’m sure it won’t be too long before I have them chalked off, too.  I’ll keep you posted) and am qualified to compare them head to head in this, my first Disneyland Smackdown.  

           For the purposes of this smackdown, I’m going to stick with just the “Disneyland” and not include the California Adventure or MGM Studios Paris, as they are  each so unique, and would put Hong Kong, a place with only one park, at a disadvantage right off the bat.  Also, I’m going to focus more on the differences between them than the similarities.  This is because, to have the “Disneyland” title, there has to be a huge amount of similarities to keep the Mousketeers happy.  If the formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  Every park has a Main Street, Tomorrowland,  Fantasyland, etc. and honestly, if you need a bathroom on Main Street, they’re in the same place in all three countries.  And so it begins…

          The first major difference any guest would notice is the Castle.  It’s smack in front of you and will undoubtedly require a photo stop at least once in every visit.  In California, the castle was intentionally built smallish and done in pastels as to be friendly and unintimidating to visitors.  In Paris, where the guests are going to be accustomed to insanely large and ornate realcastles in their home countries, the castle is much larger, more gothic in it’s architecture, and bright pink.  Oh, and it has a giant animatronic dragon beneath it.  Hong Kong tried to recreate the cuter California castle, and they did a good job, but it’s small-scale is highlighted by the mountains surrounding the park, making it seem, well, dinky.

           The coolest things to compare are the coasters.  Big Thunder Mountain in California is big and classic with the focus more on the animatronic goat chewing dynamite and bat-filled mines than the speed or the drops.  You just enjoy this ride, it’s not particularly thrilling.  Paris once again took this idea and cranked it up to the extreme.  Their Big Thunder is hands-down my favorite Disneyland ride in any park, as it takes up the entirety of the island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West, and the start and end involves a dark, fast tunnel right underneath the water before you pop up on the other side. The “danger” factor is upped, too, as if you speed off the rails, you end up in the water.  They have the goat, too.    Hong Kong, unfortunately,  doesn’t have a Big Thunder yet, but I’m sure one’s in the plans somewhere.

                All three parks do have Space Mountains, though.  And all three are thrilling, fast and whip you around crazy turns in the dark.  For years the California one made me dizzy, as so many of the twists were in the same direction, but about five years ago they overhauled it, introducing new ride cars, a better soundtrack and new track configuration.  It made a huge difference in my books, as the dizziness is gone and it’s just a crapload of fun.  This is a great ride people who like the coaster experience without giant drops to contend with.  Hong Kong’s Space Mountain is a close counterpart here too, and the screamometer level is about equal to California, although this one, most likely due to the fact that it’s technology is only a few years old, feels faster and darker.  And then there’s Paris.  I went on this ride expecting it to be as simplistic (for lack of a better word) as the other two.  In hindsight, the over-the-head locking seatbelt should have tipped me off, but it didn’t.  This ride really goes up the screamometer right from the start, where they actually shoot you out of a cannon on the roof, going from zero to feaking fast in seconds.  Inside there’s also a full 360 loop and a corkscrew.  The intensity caught me so off guard that I bruised both knees bracing them on the back of the seat in front of me!  Once I knew what this ride was like, it’s great (still no big drops.  I don’t do big drops), but if you’re unprepared, look out :) 

           It’s a Small World (come on, you knew it was coming) is so synonamous with Disneyland that all three parks feature one.  You either love it or hate it, but everyone rides it.  Hong Kong was the first to deviate from the Small World mold, mixing animatronic characters from Disney movies (Aladdin riding his carpet in the middle east, Lilo and Stitch surfing in Hawaii, etc) with the ubiquitous singing dolls.  As someone raised on IASM(my mobile played the music when I was an  infant, no joke) I was worried this would detract from the simple joy of this ride, but it surprised me by being very seamlessly integrated into the classic format.  Now it’s kind of a “spot the movie characters” game as you go.  Especially great for the little ones.  As recently as June 09, California took a page from Hong Kong’s book and debuted their own new IASM, complete with the ”hidden” characters.  Paris, as of writing this, was still using the classic format.

           Naturally, the language is going to be different from country to country, but the Disney people do a great job of putting signage in multiple languages, and what isn’t translated is accompanied by pictograms to remove any confusion.  There is something that makes me giggle uncontrollably at hearing the PeeWee Herman voice of the robot in Star Tours entirely in French, though.  The Jungle Cruise in Hong Kong found a simple solution to the language issue by just running boats in Mandarin, Cantonese and English simultaneously.  All you have to do is make sure you get into the right line and you’re golden.

           Food is an essential part of any theme park experience, and, coming at it with a very westernized palette, I found this aspect a ton of fun overseas.  Sure, all three parks have the standards: hot dogs, burgers, fries, Mickey-shaped ice cream bars, etc. but the regional specialties make this interesting.  Hong Kong, for example, sells fish balls and Korean squid on a stick at the street carts right along with the hot dogs.  The Plaza Inn here sells wonderful Dim Sum meant to be shared in a lantern-lit restaurant.  Paris has frog’s legs and sells alcohol pretty much everywhere, so you can wander around with your wine and frog’s legs to your heart’s content. 

              In conclusion, the castle is bigger and the rides are more intense in Paris;  Hong Kong is smaller and newer with more of a focus on regional food and the smaller family-friendly rides;  And California is the original, so nothing can compete with that.  Plus, due to their age, they have the most rides per square foot.  But despite all their differences, Disneyland is still Disneyland, regardless of what country you’re in.  If you have kids or just like feeling like one, it will always be worth the price of admission.

Tags: BlogSherpa, California, China, Disney Specialist, disneyland and anaheim, France, Hong Kong, memories, Paris, roller coasters, theme park, USA

Kuala Lumpur – Totally cool

        As I stood barefoot on the warm bricks, in the middle of a lightning storm, staring up at the crystaline masterpieces that are the Petronas Towers, I couldn’t help thinking that this was the most incredible thing I’d ever experienced.   At that second, I knew I was in love with Kuala Lumpur.

       This is a city that welcomes you with open arms, beginning right at the airport when our pre-arranged transfer didn’t arrive and not one but three complete strangers went out of their ways to help us out, making calls, translating, and one man even squeezed us in with the group of tourists he was transporting to deliver us right to our hotel.  Whoever you are, thank you, you’re awesome.  And our hotel, the Trader’s, was equally amazing.  I’d booked it because the location was good, the rooms were great and the price was right, but after seeing the location in person, I’d go back, regardless of the price.   Connected to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (home of the great new Aquaria aquarium) and linked to the Suria KLCC 6-story megamall (woo hoo!) by a tunnel, everything you could want is at your fingertips.  Oh, and did I mention it’s directly facing the Petronas Towers (which are atop the mall), separated only by a gorgeous landsacped park, complete with Las-Vegas  style dancing fountains?   The views from the rooftop bar and the business centre are unbelievable.  I kept taking more pictures.  When I got home I think I had nearly thirty pics of the towers alone, taking from every possible angle in every possible lighting condition.   It was like an addiction, really.  I need Petronas Towers rehab (and if it involves going back to KL, I’m okay with that)!

                 For a quick meal we spent a lot of time at the Suria KLCC food halls, where they had a huge selection of cuisines, from Malay, Thai and Indian to Itallian, Lebanese and McDonald’s.  The food was excellent, the portions huge, and you could get nearly any meal you wanted for RMB$10 (approx. CAD$3).  Plus, there was a perfect viewing window out to the dancing fountains.  Prices were consistantly good throughout the city, too.  One night we went to a movie (sadly, the animated Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms – I love that! – was not out yet, but I would have totally paid to see it!), and got dinner, the movie, caramel corn (they didn’t offer any un-caramel corn anywhere) and drinks for about CAD$10 per person!  Plus, they let you preassign seats at the movie theatre, just like on airplanes, so there’s no worry about rushing in to get the perfect seat, it’s already printed on your ticket.  Are you listening, Cineplex?  This rocked.

              Taxis are plentiful, and unless you get an official metered one, remember to agree on the fare beforehand to prevent being taken for a financial ride.  But I much preferred the monorail or underground systems, as they were dirt cheap, well marked and super-efficient.  On hot days, escaping into a nice airconditioned station was the best way to travel.  Regardless of how far it looked on a map, we discovered that nothing in central KL is that far away.  It didn’t take us more than twenty minutes to get anywhere by taxi, and quite often, though it looked to be a huge distance away on paper, attractions were only a (maximum) ten minute walk away.   A few stops on the train and  a short walk got us to the KL Tower (think CN Tower, but slightly lower), with it’s great 360-degree views of the city.  It only cost RMB$7 to enter, and we chose it over the Petronas Towers’ free viewing deck as it’s higher  and you don’t have to line up at 8am to get one of the limited tickets they hand out each day.  Well worth the expense.  A few more stops from there took us right into the heart of the shopping district, with mall after mall, from low end market-style to shiny exclusive high-end Guccis and Pradas, all ready to part you from your Ringitt.  Sweet.

               The one attraction that’s definately taxi-distance away (though at max it should only cost RMB$30 – CAD$10 - each way) is the Batu caves, a massive Hindu shrine in a (you guessed it) cave.  You’re greeted by a giant 140 foot tall golden statue of Lord Murugan, and behind him are the 272 stairs that you must climb to enter.  They’re conveniently numbered to let you know how much farther you have to go.  The view from the top looking back at KL is spectacular.  This place is really, really cool.  But not literally.  I recommend going early, as we were there at 9am and it was already “Oh-my-God-you-want-me-to-exercise-now?” hot.  No wonder at the top there’s a souvenir stand stocking little more than cold drinks.  And I was dressed for the exercise in shorts, a tank and trainers.  All around me the faithful were climbing barefoot or in ornate, layered saris.  I don’t know how they did it.  But the stars of the caves are the wild monkeys.  They’re everywhere, totally unafraid of humans and so freaking adorable.  You can get within a foot of them, and all they do is yawn and look bored.  We had been warned by our taxi driver that the monkeys won’t bother you unless you were carrying a plastic grocery bag, as they know that offerings of food for the Gods were carried in those bags, and they’re always looking for a free snack, and they weren’t concerned with us at all.  There are some great souvenir shops at the bottom, too.
       The central market was another favorite haunt, also just a few train stops away from our hotel and a short walk from the huge Chinatown night market.  It housed some of the best handicrafts, some good clothing and nice bathrooms (though they were squat toilets, it cost you RMB$0.50 to enter and you have to bring your own toilet paper).  I did some serious shopping there.  It also housed the Cute Fish Spa.  The first time I saw “fish spa” on a sign I thought it was where you take your fish if they need to de-stress, but upon closer inspection I discovered they’re actually these pools filled with six-inch long, toothless black fish, and when you put your feet in they “kissed” you, sucking off all the dead skin.  Seriously.  I kind of liked my first option better.  Why would anyone do this?  But then the lady said it was RMB$5 for 20 minutes, so for that price, what the hell.   Oh my God it tickles.  You never quite get used to that feeling.  By the time it was over my sides hurt from laughing so hard, but wow, my feet were softer than ever and stayed that way for the next two weeks.  If you ever come across a fish spa (especially one that says it’s Cute), do it, it’s worth it.  Just google “fish spa” you get some good videos.

            Between the attractions, the incredibly friendly people (oh, and did I mention almost everybody speaks English?  They learn it in school.  Most of the signs and billboard ads are in English, too) and the ease of exploration, Kuala Lumpur is awesome.  Honestly, if you go to see the towers alone (and take the prerequisite thousand pictures of them) it’s worth it, but when you add in all the rest that the city has to offer, it’s spectacular.  So go.  Now.  You’ll love it.  And if you can, grab a bootleg copy of Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms for me.

Tags: Batu Caves, BlogSherpa, fish spa, friendly people, Kuala Lumpur, lightning, movies, night market, Petronas Towers, public transportation, shopping

Singapore – the perfect cruise stop

          There are some places – cities, countries, whatever – that are built for exploring, worlds of such endless possibility that just walking down the street continuously uncovers hidden treasures.  I can aimlessly wander London for the umpteenth time, still finding new monuments to Great Lord Snuggly Pants for the Battle of the Hundred-foot long Slip and Slide, eight-foot wide houses (this one’s real, in South Kensington) and new newsagents to buy my wine gums at.

                Singapore is not one of these places.  Thus, I christen it the perfect cruise stop: where you arrive in the morning, have your eight hours to see what was number 1 on your to-do list, and sail off into the sunset the same evening.

             This is mainly due to Singapore’s sheer geographical (lack of) size.  Any country who, top to bottom, is fewer kilometers than my daily commute only has so much room to pack things in.  Don’t get me wrong, what they do have is great.   The Singapore Flyer ferris (oops, sorry, I mean observation) wheel offers some spectacular views and an interesting narrative overview.  For you bird lovers, the Jurong Bird Park has a fascinating menagerie, as well as the world’s largest indoor waterfall.  The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are world-class.  Chinatown’s night market is a ton of fun.  The National Orchid Garden will blow your mind.  And the Asian Civilizations Museum is very comprehensive and really well presented.  All very highly recommended.

             It’s the in-between-sights part that lets Singapore down.  With most signage in four languages (English, Chinese, Hindi and Malay), and nothing distinctly “Singaporean” setting them apart, it feels like Asia’s bus stop.  All these different cultures got on, but none bothered to get off again.  I got the feeling that I could have been anywhere.

             Oh, and it’s expensive.  Freaking expensive.  Land at a premium combined with the fact that they have no natural resources (even their water is imported) means your standard McDonald’s meal (yes, I’m reverting to the Big Mac scale, here) can cost you SGD$12 or your regualr CD $25.  And don’t even get me started on hotel prices.  This is the only place in the world I didn’t want to shop – anywhere.  I’m a 26-year-old woman.  Think about it.  That’s huge.

            All told, Singapore is a great place to visit.  I enjoyed it immensely.  Clean, polished and Utopian perfect on the outside.  Your few hours there will be jam-packed with one of a kind sights before you get back on your boat. I just wish it had more of a personality of it’s own to share.

Tags: BlogSherpa, cruise, Jurong Bird Park, languages, money, museum, National Orchid Gardens, Singapore, Singapore Flyer, small, zoo

Hong Kong highlight: Ocean Park

               They rose like bubbles over the South China Sea, floating through the mist before disappearing behind the mountain.  I knew they were safe, transporting millions of visitors from the Lowlands section of Hong Kong’s Ocean Park up to the Headlands every year, but the gondolas just looked so fragile, clinging to the rock faces and rocking in the wind.  Once inside, though, the incredible view of Repulse Bay made this simple people-mover the best ride in the park.

I had to wonder what was it about this near-vertical chunk of rock that made the builders think it would be the perfect place for a theme park?  At first glance the topography didn’t seem suited to anything except mountain goats.  But it makes for a surprise around every corner, as you can’t see how high that roller coaster/how big that aquarium really is until you’re actually there.

The reason we had come to Ocean Park was so my Panda-obsessed friend could gawk to her heart’s content at four of the big, furry beauties, two of which had just arrived from mainland China, gifts celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return from English rule.  Normally solitary animals, the two newcomers were in the same enclosure and it was so cute to watch them sitting together, playfully fighting over the choice bamboo, their little black Shrek-like ears wiggling with every chew.

Another highlight was the Sea Jelly Spectacular, so popular with the locals that its lineup was just as long as the roller coaster’s.  The pitch-darkness, combined with  coloured neon lights and floor to ceiling mirrors gave the aquarium a “carnival fun house” atmosphere.  You practically have to feel your way through, and the strategically-placed mirrors made it look like there were hundreds of jellies (some more than six feet long) completely surrounding you.  They weren’t kidding about the “spectacular” part!

Part amusement park, part zoo, part aquarium, and all with incredible views, Ocean Park is not your typical theme park.  When you want to escape the hustle and bustle of this chaotic and congested city, all you have to do is climb into your bubble and let it transport you away.      

 - As originally published in the Vancouver Province

Tags: BlogSherpa, China, gondolas, Hong Kong, jellyfish, Ocean Park, pandas, published, theme parks

Chiang Mai – Ele-fun with Elephants

           “In Thailand you must ride elephants” advised my Lonely Planet, so I found myself in a squeaky minivan on a cloudless January morning driving through the outskirts of Chiang Mai towards the Maetamann Nature Camp.     

            We arrived just in time to see 12 of the camp’s 57 adopted pachyderms frolicking in the river, squirting and splashing and getting a good scrubdown from their mahouts (trainers).  Coming to Thailand I had been concerned about the welfare of the elephants,  having seen the TV exposes, but any worries I had were washed away as, after their baths, the elephants strolled past, free of any chains, whips or even fences.  The performance that followed was like Superdogs at the PNE, where verbal or practically invisible foot commands highlighted the elephants’ dexterity and intelligence as they moved logs, kicked soccer balls and marched in formations.

            A table sold bundles of sugar cane and bananas for 20 baht (60 cents CAD), and during the art portion of the show (where a baby elephant actually painted a detailed picture of an elephant holding a flower – if I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed a trunk could make such intricate movements) my friend bought some.  It took seconds for the baby to spot the treats, and each time he gave his brush to his mahout for reloading he slyly peeked our direction through long eyelashes to make sure they were still there.  It was love at first sight.  As soon as the painting was completed, the baby elephant, like a kid on Christmas morning, looked to his mahout for permission and when he got a nod he rushed right over to us, trunk extended.  Though it was a crowded amphitheatre, for the few minutes it took for him to enjoy his sugar cane, everyone else ceased to exist and he was ours.

            Then the show was over and he was gone, but the disappointment was short lived as, after an oxcart ride to a nearby village, we got an elephant ride back to the camp.  The scenery was postcard perfect, lush and unspoiled as we sauntered along the sparking river (or, in our case, through the river, as our elephant decided it was too hot to follow the path like everyone else)!  En route we stopped at a lifeguard tower-esque booth and bought some bananas.  As we wandered away (periodically placing a banana in the trunk, like feeding quarters into an arcade game) I realized: we’d just gone through a drive-through on an elephant!    

            All too soon it was time to go, but the memories are priceless and evoke an excited buzz in me every time I think back.  The perfect day in Chiang Mai.  I’m so glad I listened to my guidebook!

Tags: BlogSherpa, camp, Chiang Mai, elephants, oxcart, sun, Thailand

Bangkok – Wat a great place

             I had read that Thai hospitality was legendary, but I never expected to be greeted by the King as I landed at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi airport.  Or, more specifically, a giant banner of him, accompanied by the words “Long Live the King.”  I took it as a sign of good things to come, and over the next five days, the city did not disappoint.

            This is a city of sensory overload.  Seven million people and at least five million motorbikes meant the chaotic energy of daily life was inescapable.  It was not unusual to see three or four people, some in full high-heeled business attire, with a child or a dog in their lap, squeezed onto one bike as it wove through traffic.  Even the peaceful Wats (temples) could make your head spin with all their intricate detailing.  Every inch was painted, gold leafed or sculpted to perfection, and just as I took one picture another caught my eye. 

            My personal favourite, and one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Bangkok in the first place, was Wat Po, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  I had caught a glimpse of the giant golden deity on TV my freshman year in college and had been fascinated by it ever since, but standing in the narrow building, staring up at a face the size of a Volkswagon, I was wowed.  Buddha was so peaceful entering Nirvana.  I had no concept of how big 140 feet long and 50 feet tall truly was until I saw regular-sized tourists looking like the Lilliputians from Gulliver’s Travels. 

            As if the massive gold leafed body was not enough, the soles of the huge feet were painstakingly incrusted with mother-of-pearl, depicting the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha.  And toe prints!  Keeping with the theme, 108 bronze bowls were lined up along the back of the statue, and for a small donation you could buy dishes of 1-satang coins that, when one coin is dropped in each bowl, is said to bring good luck and karma.  That was an offer I couldn’t resist, the satisfying “ping!” of each coin hitting the bowl echoing through the building.

            All donations went towards the upkeep of the beautiful Wat, and the friendly resident Monks were also selling terracotta tiles that you could write a personalized message on, and which would then be used to re-tile the roof.  It cost pennies, but the knowledge that a small piece of me would remain at Wat Po for years to come was priceless.  If I had my way, I would have stayed at Wat Po for years to come!

            As I exited the Wat there was another banner of the King smiling down at me, as if to say “I told you it was going to be good.”   Was he ever right.

Tags: 108 coin ritual, Bangkok, BlogSherpa, King, monks, public transportation, published, Reclining Buddha, temples