LAND OF 1000 DANCES

- Wilson Pickett -

 ....and the Maasai warrior sings

as the dhow sails home

.

SUNRISE IN ARIES

- God Is An Astronaut -


I am definitely not ready for the one week break to conclude so abruptly. Here I am sitting at home in Kuala Lumpur, wondering if it was Christmas week at all. Let this next two weeks sail past....FAST, so my eyes can stop twitching to the Wondergirls.


Mom has slowly accepted the fact that I’ll be away for a while this year, running around in unknown territory, out of choice. She’s got a new Gmail and Skype account for us to keep in contact throughout.

She almost got a heart attack when she was first presented the idea.


I bought her an atlas recently. She’s planned to mark all the places that I’m visiting – plus the places she’s been to. To date, the number of countries she's visited far exceeds what I can embarrassedly brag about for myself. Seriously.


What am I talking about? You may have heard about my grand Round The World trip, where I'll be off on a sabbatical for six months starting March this year to travel, well, around the world. But the itinerary has changed since, now I'll be travelling throughout Africa and make my way up north to Eastern Europe. Not a full loop as originally planned but no less exciting.

To follow me in my journey, check out Sticky In Africa. This is where I (try to) record everything from information to links to musings of the day. Spread the word. Drop a line. Share a tip.

I'll need the company :)

TINY VESSELS

- Death Cab For Cutie -

....Tangkuban Perahu, Bandung, Indonesia (Nov 2010)


Mother Nature: 1, Nike: 0

There goes my last pair of trainers.

Photo credit: Riz

break

JEZZEBELLE

- Too Phat -


That Thursday morning I was up by 4 a.m. For the second time in a row. I almost had everything packed the night before and yet I forgot my hat. Sun lotion. No hat. Genius.

I drove myself to KL Sentral to catch the bus to LCCT. I asked Deb to wait for me just in case the buses are full. Luckily I managed to get a seat and the bus won’t be leaving for the next 15 minutes. I had time to kill. Then I realized I forgot my earphones. Double genius. No McDonald’s cone sundae, I sat there hoping to catch some sleep. I actually did, on and off, when the bus wasn’t trying to turn a sharp corner.

The flight was smooth. I had my coffee and that was enough to keep me happy. As I walked out of the airport, I scanned the airport lobby for Song. He said he’ll be waiting for me with a piece of paper with my name on it, but I never saw it. I quickly called him and there he is amongst the many tuk tuk drivers waiting for their customers. I shook hands with Song (force of habit), forgetting that they greet people slightly different in Cambodia, I hoped he didn’t mind. On the way to Tara, where I’ll be staying for the next 3 days, I let the breeze run through my fingers and my red scarf blowing in the wind. It sure feels like being in a 60s movie, driving around in an old convertible. What I didn’t have is a pair of Jackie O sunglasses.

The welcome drink in Tara is lemongrass tea, I love that stuff. In fact everything smells of fresh lemongrass.

Then Rizwan showed up. A face I hadn’t seen for….less than 24 hours.

The room wasn’t ready so we decided to go for a bit of sight seeing and we decided on Kampung Pluk. It’s a village just about an hour out of Siem Riep and to get there you’ll need to take a boat. It’s USD30 per head for the half hour boat ride.

The houses on Kampung Pluk are built on high stilts. During the wet season the road is submerged underwater and the villagers get around by small boats. There are places very similar to this especially in East Malaysia, the only possible difference is that Siem Riep is just flat land as far as the eyes can see. We had to cut short our trip and head back to Tara, for the rest of the day, I slept with the TV on, while Rizwan left for a meeting.

The next day was another early morning. By 5 a.m. we were on our way to Angkor. We were (well, maybe I was) adamant to catch the sunrise. The crowd kept coming and I guess that took away a little bit of the excitement. It wasn’t the best sunrise, but I have absolutely no complaint about the company. That morning Rizwan and I just walked around Angkor Wat, for most part it was just the two of us. Where the crowd disappeared to bewilders us still. It was quiet, it was beautiful and the sun was just coming up. I especially love how the early morning light penetrates lazily through the temple cracks. To think it’s been doing that for centuries now, and to think how many have actually gazed out through those same stone openings, is just beyond captivating.

Then we said goodbye, temporarily, to have breakfast back at Tara and nap. We were back at Angkor later that afternoon, until sunset. We stopped by at the local funfair on the way back. It was so colourful and vibrant. We played a round of shoot the balloons each and won prizes. We let Song choose one for his children, and he picked a lovely doll for his daughter. What I found cool were the mats they laid out along the road near the food stalls. What you can do is pay a small fee to sit and enjoy your food there, out in the open and equipped only with a candle. Back to Tara after that. End of Day 2.

The last day was spent wandering around the streets of Siem Riep, trying out the food, just a chilled out day, taking more photos. We had lunch at Khmer Kitchen and dessert at the Blue Pumpkin – simply awesome! We maximized our time before the long bus ride to Phnom Penh the next morning, where I’d be catching my flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We ended the evening by attending the Beatacello concert and drinks in town.

I hate when trips like this feel like it goes by too quick, this one was no exception. But that was outweighed by how everything falls in place nicely. The flight back was bumpy, but all I see is the slow transformation of light to darkness, aptly marking the end of my journey, and I can’t wait to embark on a new one.

break

THE LITTLE THINGS

- Colbie Caillat -

....the kingdom that is Cambodia....


What I'll probably remember most about Siem Riep: -

1. The little caterpillar of lights that is the tuk tuks making a beeline towards Angkor Wat before sunrise.

2. The one monster resembling a white dude that's creating unnecessary havoc in the swimming pool. Still giving me laughing spasms.

3. Endless hours of (much needed) sleep.

4. Khanta Bhopa (I do have a soft spot for kids....and old Swiss doctors with funny hair who not only dare to dream but keep that dream alive)

5. That smile. That smile I'm going to miss for a while....

I'll write more about Cambodia, once I get them 1,000,000 photos sorted!

break

BEAUTY IN THE WORLD

- Macy Gray -

....my no nonsense friend and me....


Kanchanaburi
Pina coladas, a read and eye candy
Shall we?





break

CALL THE POLICE

- James Morrison -


I was just off Skype with Lowell, and yet I can't sleep. Insomnia taking control again.

3.29 a.m. What do I do?

This. My itinerary. Surprisingly and coincidently my dates turn out interesting.



And shopping for flights.

break

SUNRISE IN ARIES

- God Is An Astronaut -
break
....Saturdays are nice when you let your imagination run wild....
break
break

So Billy and I decided to hop on the Hop-On, Hop-Off.
break
As it turns out, we liked it. The only times we hopped off was at Bukit Bintang (for some McDonald's breakfast, what else and buy a new set of guitar strings) and Independence Square (my 14 years in KL, I never set foot on the field, this is my first time....yes, I'm no more a Merdeka field virgin....hmmm....I wonder, will two people making out in the middle of the field be conspicuous even in the dead night).
break
We had lunch in KLCC before deciding to check out the PC Fair next door.
break
That's the worst decision you can make if you're not seriously considering buying anything.
break
The day went great. Looking forward to another one.
break
break

FEELIN' KINDA SUNDAY

- Nancy Sinatra -



Around the world in 80 days. Plan A.

break

THE GARDEN

- Mirah -


Bali....if only I stayed longer. Should've, could've, would've. When are we going to stop looking back and tell ourselves things could've been better because maybe they wouldn't be any different. For me, I have no regrets, I'm glad Bali happened, I love every liberating second of it and now I'm looking forward.

Strategy-wise, keeping this holiday short means I'll have more leave days in my leave bank in case I want to take off longer in the future :)





Bali is a good conclusion to another chapter in life.

I am back. The me.

break

HEY, SOUL SISTER

- Train -




And see the world we shall....you and I :)

break

HEAD BUST

- Shark City Click -


What Fly Solo listed as my ideal destinations: -

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Athens, Greece
Budapest, Hungary
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Edinburgh, Scotland
Prague, Czech Republic
Reykjavik, Iceland
St. Moritz, Switzerland
St. Petersburg, Russia
Tokyo, Japan
Thailand
Sydney, Australia
Crested Butte, Colorado
Fairbanks, Alaska
San Diego, California
South Beach, Florida

But what about Central / South America? What about Argentina?

break

EDGE OF DESIRE
- John Mayer -


Don't say a word just come over and lie here with me
'Cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see

Coming back to Miri is not complete without taking that road trip down to Brunei for a round of cheap sashimi (in relative terms because each piece is cut to at least a centimeter thick) and stopping by for cheap imports at Supa Save (it's so pleasing to the eyes to have all that single digit numbers (anything between 1 to 3 dollars) in your receipt, or how my friend Shington likes to say it, docket).


Did I mention that it's also a cheap way to get another stamp in my passport? 27 more countries to go.

break 

THE GREEN LEAVES OF SUMMER

- Nick Perito -

My last road trip for 2009.

And Fifi's wedding.

break