eatingchaos

May 28, 2008

plain of jars

posted by nyx at 9:59 PM | comments (6)

May 13, 2008

luang prabang temple motif

posted by nyx at 8:25 AM | comments (3)

May 12, 2008

back from laos

funny the things we miss. the small small stuff. like absorbent towels. being able to recognize the different money denominations at a glance. paved roads. nescafe.

bus rides in laos are not bus rides. throw in a mountainous route with a two way road narrow enough to fit only one vehicle plus a driver on crack. what do you get? a roller coaster ride. a ten hour roller coaster ride.

but it was all fun. the sleeping at the bus station. the jarring ride. listening to passengers puking and wondering why they weren't having as much fun as you are. snickering at "backpackers" who pulled out pillows from the packs. deciding whether to turn the page of my book or to grip the seat harder.

now that i'm back i find myself looking at the map again. there are a few more places i need to go before i look beyond southeast asia. i need to see borobudur and prambanan. i have to go back to vietnam again - for saigon, for sapa, for hoi an. cambodia - phnom penh and maybe sihanoukville. ayutthaya, sukhothai, chiang mai, chiang rai. and most of all - burma.

sigh, burma.

posted by nyx at 8:51 PM | comments (2)

May 11, 2008

monk robes at luang prabang

posted by nyx at 5:18 PM | comments (2)

May 5, 2008

another laos update

took a slow boat down the mekong river today. sounds awfully romantic doesnt it? well, the river is pretty murky. and slow wasn't too slow either, the boat was powered by a motor. it still had an evocative quality, the slow cruise.

we got tomorrow roughly planned - wake up at dawn to witness the morning monk alm procession. then leave on the first bus for vang vien, where we should be till friday.

that's all for now. got lots of awesome pics, am excited about making a new travelogue!

posted by nyx at 9:55 PM | comments (0)

May 4, 2008

sabai dee from luang prabang

sleeping in bus stations waiting for the night bus, crawling like indiana jones in buddha park, getting baked in the plain of jars, cycling freely among the tranquil streets of luang prabang, stalking bright orange robed monks, sipping beer lao by the mekong river.

i am loving laos so far. be back with pictures soon.

posted by nyx at 6:27 PM | comments (0)

July 13, 2007

off to kuching

am off to kuching for the rainforest world music festival, and will only be back next monday. am totally psyched! i've been looking forward to this since last year.

there will be no updates till i return (not that i've been updating much in the last two months....)

till then, peace and love.

posted by nyx at 12:49 AM | comments (4)

July 3, 2007

a calling

i've been missing nepal, too much.

posted by nyx at 9:08 AM | comments (3)

June 22, 2007

"crazy" plans

was it last month that i felt the travel itch most intensely? i responded impulsively, logging onto airasia's site to check for good deals and decided - i need to see borobudur this year, as well as witness the loy krathong festival.

problem is, i have no more leaves left, not even half a day. i've stretched my 14-day ALs to the max. so the only solution to my problem is to visit those places during the weekend. the quickest in-and-out trip ever. one nighters. lightning quick visits.

loy krathong falls on a full moon night in november. i could either enjoy this festival in ayutthaya or chiang mai. i've been to chiang mai, and am familiar with its riverside (where the festival is held). it would make sense to go somewhere familiar to enjoy loy krathong, since i'm going for only a night. but i itched to be at ayutthaya - which was about an hour away from bangkok. so i followed my whims and nailed my plans down to the dot - i will fly there very early saturday morning, grab a cab to ayutthaya, reach there in time for lunch, have a quick tour in the afternoon and return in the evening to witness the festival. next day after breakfast, i will take a slow train ride to bangkok, and grab a cab to the airport and fly home in time for dinner. i've even chose my accomodation - a charming little quaint riverside guesthouse called bannkunpra that looks too irresistable on the web!

as for borobudur's calling, i checked all my free weekends for the cheapest flight, and the cheapest flight happens to be in november too. so the plan is to fly there very early on saturday, grab a driver plus car for half a day at solo airport, have him bring me to prambanan in the morning, then to borobudur where i'm splurging on accomodations - staying at the only hotel in the temple grounds. explore the site in the afternoon and sleep early. wake up before dawn to witness sunrise over borobudur and rush to the airport to be home in time for lunch!

crazy. but do-able. so...yay to november!

posted by nyx at 7:48 AM | comments (7)

June 21, 2007

back from bali!

five days of fleeting around temples and a brief sojourn at the beach pretty much sums up my visit to bali. i am mesmerised by their good architectural sense - instinctively blending buildings and nature so harmoniously together. i loved the wide expanse of their sea temples, surrounded by the bluest ocean full of white bubbly waves. their charming locals, so ready with sweet smiles and so full of grace, their mystically soothing music. the rice padi fields that spread across their lands, mirroring the moods of the skies.

it felt weird to be speaking malay all the time.

give me roughly two weeks to whip up the travelogue!

posted by nyx at 7:35 AM | comments (4)

June 16, 2007

off to bali

updates have been scarce on eatingchaos, yes - am neglecting it. i'll be back in full force hopefully after my bali trip - am leaving today and will be back on thursday.

i welcome the break - i need to shake up my routine a little bit, tear away from my everydayness and come back with a new perspective.

till then :)

posted by nyx at 9:22 AM | comments (3)

June 11, 2007

nepal travelogue - completed

finally finished the nepal travelogue! enjoy.

posted by nyx at 7:22 AM | comments (6)

May 31, 2007

i miss being surrounded by strangeness

just a quick note to say that i've been working really hard on the travelogue and that it should be ready by the first week of june. am spending all my free time on it, hence the sparse updates at eatingchaos.

in the meantime, here's another teaser pic ;)

posted by nyx at 11:06 PM | comments (2)

May 30, 2007

obsessively

fire in my blood, this need. i have to backpack around asia for more than a month.

how does one take a year off?

posted by nyx at 8:43 PM | comments (4)

May 27, 2007

sunday morning read

read this invigoratingly excellent article by popagandhi on dreams and travelling called "What Am I Doing Here"

posted by nyx at 12:06 PM | comments (0)

May 15, 2007

how travelling to nepal has affected my family

1. in the middle of dinner with robarto on my third night back, i received this following text from my mother - "Am enjoying an after dinner masala tea. nepalese rock playin in background. you?"
2. i come home everyday to a house filled with nepali music, transporting me back to thamel street
3. we talk about masala tea. a lot.
4. we also try to brew it
5. we talk about nepali food, a lot.
6. we are hunting for recipes
7. both my mum and i are currently reading nepal related literature
8. my dad fervently searches for the everest peak in ALL our travel pictures
9. we sometimes namaste each other instead of saying good morning at the breakfast table
10. groggy eyed me stumbled into the bathroom one morning to see this: pokhara is where the trekker's begin their hike to everest base camp in nepal

posted by nyx at 6:06 PM | comments (7)

May 14, 2007

travel insurance

we are compensated RM2,200 per person for our travel delay of 86 hours.

let this be a lesson - always purchase travel insurance, the cost is very very minimal compared to other travel expenditure like air tickets or accommodation. if i'm not mistaken, we paid fifty odd malaysian ringgit for our travel insurance.

i know of friends who are in the opinion that it is a waste of money, especially since they were only travelling for less than a week.

we were also suppose to travel less than a week.

it is an insignificantly small sum to pay. especially so, when you need the medical cover.

posted by nyx at 8:19 PM | comments (4)

May 7, 2007

loving, and leaving nepal

did all my travels teach me to be so fluent with change?

as soon as i heard we had empty days i took off on my own, traversing the fringe of kathmandu valley wildly, living on borrowed time. my thirsty nomadic soul drank up all the culture that nepal offered - sipping chiya in their tiny teahouses, riding on a bus rooftop weaving through fields of golden wheat, laughing with children who screamed for chocolate when they saw my foreign face, sharing dirt paths with goats and bulls, gasping at the dangerous manoeuvres of their notorious macrovans.

i am very impressed by how unperturbed my parents were with my solo gallivants, allowing their daughter to roam free - so long as i return by dusk, albeit a few shades darker - always bursting with stories to tell.

i tasted freedom most intensely sitting at the cobblestoned roads of bhaktapur, listening to the laments of some nepali folk song whilst eating their famed juju dhauking. the food, the music, the environment, the people, the language - everything was strange. how invigorating it was to be surrounded by all that is unfamiliar, how absolutely free, and at ease i was, how pliant my soul felt at that moment.

it is impossible not to fall devastatingly in love with nepal - their unrestrained love for clashing colours, the stunning himalayan range, the genuine openness of their people. the newari architecture preserved with such fierce pride, how rich they are with religious symbolism, the way the streets burst at its seams.

i have hunted for temples in the midday heat, came face to face with the ashes of death, played "guess the deity" game while staring at holy statues. i giddily walked into every shop that lined the streets of thamel chanting namaste namaste with delight, held tightly as their rikshi squeezed between potholed streets, slipped baksheesh into the palms of sadhus. i came to know of their everyday life through a new found friend, who spoke of their hardship, who patiently taught me their curly writings, who touched my heart deeply. i stood five feet below a living goddess and gazed at her countenance, lingered among tibetan refugees, and heard their stories.

i have done all these, yet as i departed from kathmandu - i felt that there was something more for me here. i left feeling slightly unsatiated, reluctant to let go of the bonds i have so recently formed with the people and the land - of which will remain close to my heart for all times.

my nepal experience was a deeply satisfying one. i am immensely grateful to have been there, for it gave me back who i am. and till i return, i bid this mystical country - dhanyabad, and namaste.

posted by nyx at 7:15 AM | comments (1)

May 6, 2007

teaser pic - wait for the travelogue

posted by nyx at 3:00 PM | comments (5)

beautiful sunday

I AM HOME!

tribhuvan airport was packed with stranded passengers - we camped there for eight hours staring at the empty runway. at 2am the lone plane loomed into sight, and was greeted by victory hoots and claps from the relieved passengers.

now that i am back in the familiar confines of my room, i am hit hard by how much i miss kathmandu. i have fallen in love with its buzzing narrow alleys, hazardous traffic, its valley full of temples and durbar squares, the masala chiya and dhal bhaat, the dusty atmosphere with friendly locals whispering namaste.

most of all i miss the one person who tenderly filled my days with easy warmth, whose name lies like poetry in my heart.

namaste.

posted by nyx at 12:57 PM | comments (2)

May 4, 2007

more updates

my midnight flight tonight with royal nepal air is (surprise surprise) cancelled. we are on standby for the tomorrow's flight, although they are not sure whether they can fix the plane on time (uh huh).

in the meantime, we're booked on Gulf Air to fly to Bahrain, and from there to Kuala Lumpur. flight leaves on sunday 5pm, and i am due to reach malaysian soils late monday afternoon. (downside of this flight is, we have to bear the cost!!!)

depending on which airline leaves first, the latest i will be back is late monday afternoon. (this flight cancellation business is so not funny anymore)

take care all, i am well. namaste.

posted by nyx at 9:07 PM | comments (6)

a desperate measure?

sick of flight cancellations, our group issued a stern instruction to our travel agent - get us out of here by this weekend!

they searched all routes and airlines, and proposed this route:

kathmandu - dhaka - calcutta - singapore - kuala lumpur

LOL!!

posted by nyx at 10:42 AM | comments (4)

May 3, 2007

more flight cancellations

let this be a lesson for all - NEVER fly into nepal via Royal Nepal Air. expect a long report on that when i'm finally on malaysian soils.

first they cancelled wednesday's flight and rescheduled us two days later. now even that flight is cancelled..... but fret not - we are looking at other airlines and flying into bangkok or singapore, hopefully sometime this weekend...

anyway, despite the flight troubles, i've had the most awesome day ever. took off on my own and went temple hunting, contemplated mortality beside the bagmati rivers while witnessing the different stages of cremation. rubbed shoulders with more sadhus - the wondering holy men. got lost at noon looking for the infamous tibetan stupa (i am not dropping names - they will come later in my travelogue) resulting in an absolutely sunburnt me, had a great local dhaal bhaat lunch, watched how novice monks while their time away.

so yeah, this flight cancellation is probably not *that* bad...

off to bhaktapur durbar square tomorrow if i'm still here.

take care all, pray for my return!

namaste.

posted by nyx at 9:05 PM | comments (1)

May 2, 2007

stuck in kathmandu!

namaste.

(i love namaste)

i'm in kathmandu. i'm stuck here. my flight got postponed till wee hours of friday night, and am due back saturday morning (i consider myself EXTREMELY lucky if i do get back by saturday, grrr)

this is just a short post to say that i'm good, i've seen everest and brushed shoulders with sadhus, caught a rare glimpse of a living goddess, got kissed by a nepali baby and offered chiya by the local men, a lot.

got tonnes of stories - good and bad to tell, also revelations about myself (we travel to learn more about ourselves?). plus - pictures to make you guys turn absolutely green with envy.

right now, let's hope i get home. :)

namaste.

posted by nyx at 7:53 PM | comments (5)

April 26, 2007

all my backs are packed....

i'm off again, to nepal this time. was supposed to depart only on saturday, but true to nepal airlines' reputation for inconsistencies - saturday's flight was cancelled. we could either leave a day earlier, or one day after.

any traveller would make the only decision that could be made - go friday, spend an extra day there.

i knew this only in the afternoon. came back after an ice cream session and dinner with friends, packed, and again - set the alarm to go off at the most ungodly hour.

oh the things i do in the name of travel.

be back on wednesday (where i head STRAIGHT to work from the airport) with stories and pictures!

till then, much love and peace.

posted by nyx at 11:23 PM | comments (2)

April 16, 2007

street madness

posted by nyx at 7:17 AM | comments (4)

April 15, 2007

i'm back

just a short holler to say i'm back safe and sound - but extremely sleepy (so am off to bed after this). had roughly eight hours of sleep the last three days!

songkran in chiang mai is MADNESS. it was crazy it was chaotic it was pure wicked fun. you've never known true wetness till you've songkraned it out right by the moat! i was even reading a soggy book for two days! a wet book! can you imagine!

apart from that - i rode on an elephant (and got smeared all over by their nose goo!), glided through rapids in a bamboo raft, hiked to two tribal villages, took some time out at the maewang waterfall, enjoyed the chiang mai night bazaar and seeked relief at foot massage parlours. also made some friends whom i hope to visit again.

didn't get to see much of the city because it was pure MADNESS during songkran. got a video to prove it - let me figure out how to youtube.

in the meantime, i leave a pic for you to contemplate what i mean by MADNESS.

posted by nyx at 8:45 PM | comments (6)

April 13, 2007

all my bags are packed....

packing my backpack officially signals that the journey has begun. it's usually a fairly quick affair, about 30 minutes - afterwhich i'm always raring to go. which is why i pack at the last possible minute to minimise the waiting.

packing is almost metamorphic - you shed the old skin of routine. you're about to leave your nest, your mindset. something inside you awakens, something curious. your nomadic self comes out to play, to explore.

it is such a satisfying transitionary period, that i try to prolong it. i begin with ambience - a playlist. i whip up a killer song compilation, usually something catchy (today's consisted of lily allen, jason mraz, kt tunstall and corinne bailey rae). then i sit down to draw up a packing list, where i segregate my stuff into categories : essentials (passport, travel insurance card), entertainment (2 books to read, a notebook to jot), technology (various chargers, batteries, external hardisk), misc (first aid pack, toiletries) and clothes (something to sleep in, something to travel).

and i pack, then i'm done.

now i'm off to sleep - i have to be up in less than 4 hours. have a great weekend y'all, i'll be back from chiang mai on monday with stories and pictures!

p/s: it's friday the 13th! whee!

posted by nyx at 12:21 AM | comments (3)

April 9, 2007

in between normal and different

was i gone for only a night? it feels as though a week has passed. my inner clock is interrupted - jarred by the crossing of borders, the brief encounter with different mindsets. i love this disjointed feeling, this displacement of time. i consider it one of the many little pleasures of travelling, a delicious side effect. i return to my everydayness and cannot grasp the normality i’ve lost – only aware am i of the pleasure that i've gained. even the mundaneness of monday's routine feels slightly foreign - and strangely welcomed.

how quickly one can slip away, how tumultuous one's instinct for time is, how readily i abandon stability in the name of adventure.

posted by nyx at 7:25 AM | comments (5)

April 8, 2007

singapore mini escapade

goosebumps, goosebumps, goosebumps watching phantom of the opera. it is such a well written drama with such an excellent score - the music seeps right into your skin and goes straight to the blood. absolutely enthralling to watch that familiar plot unfold and i swear i want to watch it again and again. i was filled with immense satisfaction at the end of the play - totally worth every penny i paid.

i am craving for more broadway performances of the same calibre. andrew lloyd webber is a genius. god, what a piece. i must take it upon me to splurge on one of these big performances every now and then.

singapore - we had a few hours to explore it by ourselves before rendezvousing at a buddy's place where we were crashing at. scratched our heads staring at the unfamiliar destinations on the MRT board before deciding to check Orchard Road out. and what do you know - Orchard Road is where Kinokuniya and Borders Bookstores are at. so that's where my extra hours were delightfully spent - staring at the jungle of books and gasping over a few delicious finds. oh book bliss.

passed by some streets that looked potentially interesting, museums that beckoned me in and intriguing architecture that begged to be stared at - which warrants another trip down south to sate all these little curiosities.

posted by nyx at 10:07 PM | comments (6)

April 6, 2007

off to lion city

heading south for phantom of the opera. here's hoping that i'll be moved to tears! have a great weekend people!

posted by nyx at 10:09 PM | comments (1)

April 4, 2007

symptom

listlessly,
she ate her dinner while gleefully,
she stared at
her passport.

whee! nepal visa! whee!

p/s: this is not a poetry attempt

posted by nyx at 7:48 PM | comments (2)

March 22, 2007

a not-so-bad news, and a better-than-good news

i jumped the gun gushing about burma before the trip was set in concrete. the destination is apparently, still up for discussion. and though i really was psyched about finally realising the dream that is myanmar, i am not in the least bit disappointed about the change. why? two reasons. one - airasia is in the midst of planning new routes to vietnam and burma. even if that doesn't happen, you can bet your last dollar that i'd be trying hard as heck to make my way there by next year. and two - (this is the better-than-good news bit) attention has been shifted north-westwards. we are talking about the wedge of terrain that lies between the two motherlands. the plains that perches on the tibetan plateau. the grounds that shoulders mount everest.

yes, nepal. nepal!!!! one can rub shoulders with the exotic mystics, lay eyes upon a living goddess (more on this in another post) and weep at the artistic expressions of their architecure. nepal!!! (this is really me toning it down jusssstttt in case the destination is changed again)

truth be told, i've always had conflicting desires between travelling to china or india. china on one hand, is my true motherland. i have roots there - my heritage written all over her soil. strangely, i am not ready to come face to face with that mirror yet. india on the other hand, has my calling. their temples, the architecture, their plethora of deities, the very idea of india - i feel it all intensely.

naturally, i thought it most appropriate that i touch nepal first before china or india, since it's smack in between both. the perfect solution if you will - to hush my silly inner disputes (because we alllll know i'd up and go anywhere in a snap of fingers when given the opportunity)

so yeah - nepal has been on my lips, my mind and in my heart.

posted by nyx at 9:33 PM | comments (1)

March 11, 2007

sunday yearnings

omg i have to go to morocco

posted by nyx at 10:13 AM | comments (4)

February 11, 2007

burma burma

i'm super duper excited about myanmar! tagging along with parents for a trip (i haven't travelled with them for ages) - a real quick and short one (myanmar deserves more time really). at first they said phnom penh, then a change of mind to....yangon!

i'm so psyched about going there - suu kyi's beloved burma. the land of white stupas and golden temples and busy tea houses and tribes with a taste of the exotic (think neck rings), that inspired george orwell, william somerset maugham, rudyard kipling. their lovely squiggly writings. i've heard about how honest and intellectual their people are, read about the military regime, kept myself abreast with suu kyi's house arrest.

i can't believe i'm going.

mandalay, bagan, yangon/rangoon, irrawaddy river - how can the names of those places not send a shiver down one's spine? (we probably have time for only one place tho :D)

between now to the days when i'll touch her soil - i'm gonna be stuffing my brains silly with literature on myanmar - i've already got all the books written by aung san suu kyi, a lonely planet and several other burma literature. oh me be sponge for facts of your land!

posted by nyx at 11:42 AM | comments (7)

February 1, 2007

travel blues

i want to soak the world up into my bones, traverse the lands till the memory of who i am is a distant reflection upon the skies.

that's an image of my travel routes from 2005 - 2007, dotted ones are upcoming trips. i've pretty much finalised my travel plans this year, although i'm trying to squeeze in another three trips. in february, i'll be flying back to kk for chinese new year. in march or april, i'll be popping into singapore either for the mosaic music festival or phantom of the opera. in mid april, a quick trip to chiang mai for their water festival, songkran. in june, off to bali to soak up some rays. and july, the rainforest world music festival in kuching.

i'm trying to squeeze in solo for borobudur and prambanan in late april, and a quick trip to chiang mai again in november for loy krathong, the lantern festival. plus another trip, hopefully out of asia, or at least out of south east asia in october (although i'll be just as happy to visit laos/myanmar).

i'm frustrated by how little leaves we have, 14 days. i'm frustrated by how i have to compromise by cutting my trips short. i'm frustrated by the asian mentality where unpaid leaves silently equals to irresponsibility. i realise i dont have the financial luxury of taking a year off to traverse the earth, but a month at a time would suffice.

i hate feeling rushed when i'm travelling, i like to slow down, and let the foreign rhythm infect my soul. i miss travelling on land - night busses, endless train rides, minivans and tuk-tuks, boats, bicycles. i want to have the luxury of waiting pointlessly at a desolate bus stop in the middle of nowhere gambling with luck and hoping that the two hours late bus would pop into sight in the next minute.

give me a month. then, i'd be able to cover the norths and souths of vietnam. or fly into bangkok, take a train to ayutthaya, onto chiang mai, chiang rai and cross the borders to laos, back into thailand to cross into myanmar. or at least cover the entire bali island, then go over to yogyarta for borobudur and prambanan, maybe even make it to sulawesi. give me month. then i can come back, regroup myself, reflect on the trip while i recuperate and gather resources again for the next trip.

sigh.

anyway, i'm just venting. in truth, i am grateful whenever, wherever i can travel. am just greedy because i want so much more.

posted by nyx at 12:40 PM | comments (0)

January 22, 2007

rainforest world music festival 2007

the rainforest world music festival 2007 website is up! it's their 10th year anniversary, so their list of performers that are attending are super special. there's also various practical information like where to stay and how to get tickets - even how to volunteer. go take a look :)

music buffs must attend!

posted by nyx at 10:11 AM | comments (2)

January 18, 2007

this incessant itch

...is a full blown rash? this restlessness will not cease though i've cemented chiang mai travels in april - for their songkran festival. a short trip. this year is all about short trips, i think. borobudur and prambanan is calling me.

tibet is calling me.

grr.

posted by nyx at 7:18 PM | comments (2)

January 11, 2007

of urges

today i craved to live in a sea-stilt hut - 360 degrees of the ocean in its varying shades of green and blue. they'd be huts scattered around, and one of them would be a cafe. i'd jump into my little sampan, make small splashes while i row my way there for an afternoon cuppa.

in the past year, i've had many of these urges. one of them was to ride on a rickety train, preferably open air (or sitting on the roof!). another was to live in a hut amongst emerald green padi fields, where i'd have to cycle along the crops to a grocery store (or something). then there was me wanting to live in a wooden boat and be lulled to sleep by sounds of water slapping against the deck.

*sigh*

posted by nyx at 9:39 PM | comments (0)

January 10, 2007

big omg moment

spurred by my frustrations with airasia's slow web, i went into mas' site to search for tickets. and just for the heck of it, i chose buenos aires. i selected some random dates and clicked the continue button.

nothing could've prepared me for what i was to see. it was simply SHOCKING.

nuff said. i leave you to ponder this staggering ticket.

posted by nyx at 11:23 PM | comments (11)

December 10, 2006

travelogue finally done!

finally finished my travelogue - it took two months! i locked myself in this weekend to complete it. it's not exactly the way i wanted it - would've preferred a more article oriented travelogue as i've got tonnes to share and talk about including various travel tips but i watered it down and made it more gallery oriented as i've postponed this for far too long.

so it's just pictures and vague comments. enjoy :)

hanoi travelogue and my other travelogues.

posted by nyx at 8:10 PM | comments (1)

October 31, 2006

i'm back!

it feels like i've been gone for months. hanoi is street crazy - a chaos of motorbikes and swirling dusts with a cacophonous soundtrack and wafting among all these is the aroma of their delicious food and strong coffee.

it was a trip filled with many unexpected surprises - some good, some bad. all taken in stride and in the spirit of travelling. there were injuries, wet beds, broken elevators, scams.

tonnes of stories. wait for the travelogue :)

posted by nyx at 7:15 AM | comments (2)

October 21, 2006

mini pause

i'll be away till next sunday! take care all :)

here's something robarto asked for sometime back - a pic of my bookshelves...

i'm about to describe how i arrange my books and i can get quite verbose about it, so - fair warning!

i divide them into subsections, almost akin to a mini library. our tour starts on upper left hand corner of my ikea pale wood plank wall-shelf. where my lovely cat illustration resides (a gift!). that left half is my alternative history/science/paranormal/conspiracy theory section - half of which are not my books (i'm a book godmother, keeping it safe for a friend). on the right you have my travel section.

left portion of the middle tier is dedicated to comparative religion, followed by a small collection of philosophy books which neighbours my kid's book section. on the left side - books to read next! hehe.

lower shelf - left side are my brother's mafia book collection (again, godmother of books - he swears his collection of mafia books are so rare and complete that even amazon.com can't rival it). next to those are my fantasy books.

right below, books are stacked on top of my shelf. these are hardcover books, and also my travel section that spilt over from the top.

on my mahogany shelf - top most is india literature, beneath it my poetry collection. below that houses my fav author books (murakami, coelho, palahniuk, bourdain, duras, winterson, ETC). underneath that are my japanese literature which resides side by side with my classics. and the last row are my misc books :)

enough about my shelves. i've heard several rumours about how donating blood affects a person, among them are:

• you gain weight
  
• you tire easily
  
• you sleep well
  
• you get voraciously hungry
  
• your pimples go away
  
• your face glows

absurd isn't it!!!! hahaha. anyways, am off. i'm late. gotta get on the move. be well!

posted by nyx at 12:24 PM | comments (7)

October 20, 2006

all my bags are packed...

for the first time i packed extremely light without me needing to cut down and cut down and cut down and cut down... more space for shopping :)

and - i packed only a book! ONE book! wow! of course, that's minus the lonely planet vietnam which is not counted as a book because it's an essential bible. and i didn't count marguerite duras' the lover as well... haha. i've always wanted to bring that book to vietnam. and read it there. although, technically i should read it in saigon not hanoi. ah well close enough.

i'm thinking of very quickly very impulsively sneaking in another book into my very empty bag.

giggles.

during my backpacking excursions i find that i subconsciously do things differently. like - i read books i don't normally read. i wear colours i don't normally wear. i enjoy songs i don't normally enjoy. it's as if all my senses want to be on a holiday as well.

be back next sunday. take care y'all, happy deepavali and selamat hari raya! stay safe :)

peace and love.

posted by nyx at 8:57 PM | comments (1)

September 28, 2006

why Packaged Tours is a bad word

it's a case of one man's meat being another man's poison. packaged tours offer a lot of pros - everything is almost paid for, you only need to bring a little money for food and souvenirs, there is certainty in your plans, you're well taken care of. to sum it all up - you're safe. you're a tourist.

but that's not how i want to travel.

i want to backpack. i want the unsettling sensation of being somewhere unfamiliar. i want to be a stranger feeling about in the dark. i want uncertainty. i want to not know what to expect so that i could be surprised. i want curveballs. i want to hunt down the best deals. i want to be whimsical.

how i see it, the way i travel has got these things going for me:

• if i like the place, i can stay another night, or two. if i hate it i leave
  
• i decide where to go next on a whim, based on intuition or even astronomy for all i care. wherever the feel good factor lies
  
• choices are at hand - i can take a combo of minibus + boat, or train, or charter a trishaw
  
• i can slowly stroll down the street and be very picky about my accomodation. maybe i want to stay in a red building today. maybe i want a balcony. maybe i want a crazy guest house keeper

point is - with packaged tours, i'm not afforded with the above "luxury". but there are cons to my travelling style. you have to be street smart for one. and you have to be in love with uncertainty. sure, you might have a bad experience - someone tries to pull a fast one, or you're brought around for a ride. think of it this way though - they make good stories to tell when you get home :)

posted by nyx at 8:44 PM | comments (0)

September 15, 2006

skydiving

finally managed to get some info from Sky Venture. it's an annual affair and i have to wait till next year to jump :(

ah well, stick around for updates - they've promised to call me once the dates are confirmed. i'll give a shout out to see who else is interested.

posted by nyx at 4:03 PM | comments (0)

September 5, 2006

i'm back!

came back to a broken pc - always acts up when i'm away, always merajuking. but, i managed to fix it :)

island life is blissful. i spent my days under the shades of coconut trees and cafe huts slurping fruit lassi and reading, reading reading. i ate six books and grew three shades darker.

i love bikini land. everyone comfortable in their own skin, body issues take a dive in the salty waters. long beach of perhentian island kecil has the softest sand of all, and if i pretend hard enough i can still feel it beneath my feet.

waking up and nursing coffee over the endless stretch of sea and sky - it does something to one's soul. now that kl has invaded my senses and jarred my coconut-swaying-in-the-breeze-to-reggae-beat rhythm, i have lost my words.

ah well. looking forward to the next break! or - right now am contemplating skydiving! hell yeah!

posted by nyx at 8:06 AM | comments (0)

August 30, 2006

me be away!

off to perhentian. back on monday (with tonnes of work waiting for me in the office). have a good holiday y'all! and happy national day.

posted by nyx at 5:40 PM | comments (0)

August 5, 2006

in the name of the thorny fruit

a two and a half hours journey crossing the borders of four states just to squat at a makeshift stall by the roadside for fifteen minutes of gustatory bliss.

and my parents think my travelling patterns are crazy. i say i inherited it.

without breakfast in the tummy, my dad drove us all the way to tangkak for some durians :) the journey took 150 minutes, eating took 15 minutes.

it was delicious, but i still think they are crazy.

posted by nyx at 3:31 PM | comments (0)

July 25, 2006

i feel like i have to update

weekend - melaka this time round was a bit unexpected. i had certain things in mind that i looked forward to - slow awakenings on sunday afternoon, an extended breakfast in my favourite cafe with a lot of quiet reading time, lounging in the streets absorbing melaka's charm over cold beer.

didn't quite work out that way but it's fine. such is life i suppose.

we tricked nev into singing - that was a highlight. he looked so subdued in the beginning, like a peacock without its tail. chris sang too - albeit a lil nervously. i didn't do too well myself, wasn't used to the guitar.

nev gave me my very first pair of "gypsy" earrings! here's a pic (oh no! am i becoming one of those vain bloggers who splash their sites with ten thousand pictures of themselves?!!? stop me if i am!!!)

um. it's only a very small pic!

posted by nyx at 10:43 PM | comments (0)

July 14, 2006

murakami in france!

someone was in paris when he saw this advertisement :

and very sweetly snapped a picture of it for me :) check the close up :

it's my very first murakami book! :D

at first i thought it was a book advertisement, turned out to be a Visit Japan ad, haha.

merci beaucoup ws!

posted by nyx at 4:51 PM | comments (4)

July 13, 2006

rwmf mini travelogue

whipped up a quick travelogue - visit it at rainforest world music festival 2006. also updated my gypsylust index.

not too happy with the pictures i took - i think i need an external flash :( which means more bulk while travelling, and another hole in my pocket. so maybe not!

there are about 27 pictures in there, enjoy!

p/s: just found out that it looks funny in IE. use firefox people!

posted by nyx at 11:05 PM | comments (4)

July 11, 2006

rainforest world music festival - feel the love

throw twelve bands from every corner of the world together playing grass root music and what do you learn?

you learn how truly universal the language of music is. you learn how diverse cultures can jive and harmonize to the same rhythm. you learn how beautiful the celebration of differences are, and how healing such an experience can be.

and that, is what the rainforest world music festival is all about. cliche as it may sound - the festival is all about music, love and peace. it's all about bringing together cultures, not being afraid of opening yourself up to what is unfamiliar. it is about cultivating a taste for the exotic, and it is one heck of an addictive experience. an annual must for me.

you get a varied crowd - locals, foreigners, families with their kids, backpackers, grandpa and grandmas, all walks of life from all over the world. what's great is how laid back the participants are! everyone is dressed comfortably - flip flops, hair wild or wrapped in bandannas, peasant skirts, fisherman pants, bikini tops, tribal looking trinkets, dread locks. the works! everyone has a warm smile ready for you, it's like a village of love.

the atmosphere is charged - akin to a carnival. a lone man sells balloons, temporary tattoo stall, ice cream vendors, popcorns. the food stalls are neatly tucked beneath the foliage and is not overly intrusive.

i never had an ear for folk music, or the grassroot genre for that matter. but when the musicians brand it with their passion - it immediately becomes real, relevant and urgent. gets right into your blood, and before you know it - you're a fan.

we got to know the bands better through the workshops. in fact, these little intimate sessions accentuated the performances at night.

one particular unforgettable workshop - Hit Me!, where percussionists from different bands were brought together to jam. uncertain at first, they took turns playing their instruments. vulnerable explorations as they began to understand each other's groove with growing confidence that culminated to an explosive burst of tribal energy as the crowd went wild and erupted into a frenzy dance encouraging the musicians to keep playing. solely with percussions - they rocked the long house down.

proof that music is all we need for world peace - not war, not politics. proof that the fusion of cultures is possible. there was absolute magic in the air that afternoon. their music spoke volumes and the crowd was hungry for more.

the night performances were equally as captivating. the crowd was so receptive that any music - be it the poetry from the steppes of central asia, to throat singing, to the rambunctious madagascan beats to the saucy latin american samba - they wanted more and urged the musicians on. invigorated by the energy - the bands clearly felt the love and were having a time of their lives performing. they just kept giving and giving and loving every minute of it.

it isn't a rainforest world music festival if it doesn't rain - so rain it did on the very first day during the first two acts. full blown shower. the crowd braved it and flocked to the stage to watch the mesmerising korean troop.

everyone danced. in an atmosphere as charged as this - you can be doing the robot dance to a samba beat or just jumping animatedly in the same spot - as long as you're expressing yourself, you're beautiful. everyone was beautiful. it was a great moment to be alive.

and that, is my account of the ranforest world music festival.

pictures tomorrow perhaps :) and maybe some band reviews.

posted by nyx at 7:13 PM | comments (9)

July 10, 2006

i'm back!

i'm back! i had loads of fun with tonnes of pics! am tired tho, so update about RWMF tomorrow!

came back to a cranky pc - gotta fix it :( i think it merajuk, hehe.

later!

posted by nyx at 10:42 PM | comments (2)

July 7, 2006

mini pause - i'll be back soon

posted by nyx at 8:14 AM | comments (0)

July 6, 2006

pre-travel itch

been staring at the rainforest world music festival website all day yesterday, as if that'll hasten time and transport me to kuching.

skimmed through the list of performers without knowing what to expect from them. all so exotic sounding! they come from all over the world -

• mountain music from kyrgyzstan
  
• french gypsy band
  
• latin american & caribbean dance music
  
• traditional instrumentalist from madagascar
  
• female soul singer from mali
  
• throat singing from mongolia
  
• korean folk percussionists
  
• scotsman and their bagpipes
  
• sarawak indigenous instruments
  
• etc, etc

the festival is divided into two parts - afternoon workshops, and night performances. workshops start at 2pm and lasts about 40 minutes each with nine sessions per day (three running concurrently at any one time).

so many different workshops, tough decisions! learning music in the afternoon, listening at night against the backdrop of lush rainforest, what a beautiful musical orgy it'll be :)

sigh, can't wait.

posted by nyx at 7:18 AM | comments (6)

July 4, 2006

rainforest world music festival

i woke up this morning thinking - sh*t, Rainforest World Music Festival is this weekend. dragged myself out of bed, heavy with regret that i didn't make arrangements to go.

then i thought, waitaminute -

• i have extra leave
  
• i have nothing to do this weekend
  
• parents are away
  
• salary just banked in
  
• what the hell is stopping me??!

came into the office and made some phone calls. tickets - check. still available. flights - not too pricey considering how last minute the purchase is. next on the list - accomodation.

now that's a little bit tricky. Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is held at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) - 45 minutes away from Kuching town. accomodation around SCV is scarce. one can opt to stay in Kuching town itself - but one has to travel to and fro every day for the events, which lasts till after midnight. quite tiresome.

still, i have to try my luck. from the list of accomodations at RWMF site, i called the numbers one by one. first jackpot - damai inn has a recent cancelation for an executive suite - RM1200, pricey!! i wasn't that desperate. i kept calling, and what d'ya know, SCV itself has a room available! smack right where the action is yo!

happy me made my way to the bank ready to cash in and seal my bookings. the room can accomodate four people. i might as well call my friends and see who is interested. so i did. and what dya know, my best buddy gurl is at kuching during those dates! she just has to extend her stay a few more days!

fantabulous luck. it's like the whole world conspired to sing the same song to nudge me closer to my dream. tastes almost like fate.

she is confirming later this afternoon, but 90% coming with me.

voila! Rainforest World Music Festival, here i come!! :)

posted by nyx at 1:07 PM | comments (8)

June 30, 2006

i want to go here - salar de uyuni

in bolivia lies the the world's largest salt flat - salar de uyuni (translated to mean salt desert).

what you see are the remains of a dried up prehistoric lake, leaving behind 10 billion tonnes of salt. salar de uyuni has pure white planes that are almost completely flat. if it should rain, a sleet of water covers the area and a perfect reflection of the sky mirrors up.

located 5500 meters above sea level, this barren terrain is a cold place, and a popular tourist destination.

read more »

posted by nyx at 12:11 PM | comments (6)

June 29, 2006

i want to go here

tell you where it is tomorrow if you can't guess?

posted by nyx at 9:40 PM | comments (2)

June 18, 2006

restored

the familiar streets with its quaint charm - visiting memories, the pubs that spilled onto the streets - drinking from 9 to 5, the piano bar - singing under the influence, the football matches, the easy camaderie with a stranger full of stories about the world, walking back to the guesthouse under the rain.

the disorientation at 10am, sleeping till three, the dream of hunting for orange juice, my elaborate solo breakfast, the strong bitter coffee, a quiet idyllic afternoon alone with a hammock and a good book.

i love melaka, it gives me back who i am.

posted by nyx at 11:05 PM | comments (3)

June 5, 2006

wicked!

was looking for alternate travel methods and stumbled across a site that thrilled me to bits! budget caravans for rent! keyword being budget! available only in aus and nz tho. i'll so do it if i'm heading down under. name of company is wicked campers. check out what a cool array of vans they have!

posted by nyx at 8:31 PM | comments (3)

May 30, 2006

sudden unreasonable urge

where can i sleep in a wooden sampan, quiet lake, swaying among stillness, under midnight skies?

posted by nyx at 10:23 AM | comments (8)

May 15, 2006

siem reap travelogue

it's finally finished. siem reap, cambodia travelogue is at http://gypsy.eatingchaos.com

posted by nyx at 7:49 PM | comments (3)

May 11, 2006

urge

i want to take a long rickety train ride to nowhere

posted by nyx at 9:24 AM | comments (0)

May 4, 2006

back from siem reap

five days, four nights, two best friends, a brother. fantastic time.

so much to tell, but wait for my travelogue - am whipping one up, will probably take about a week or so.

the food was so good, shopping cheap.

there were street beggars everywhere, evidence of land mine injuries every corner.

no matter how much you read, the documentaries you've watched, the things you hear - nothing prepares you for the sheer size of angkor wat and angkor thom. and nothing, prepares you for the heat. for once i'm thankful for the invention of air-conditioning.

the girls there are charming, kids are cheeky. no copyright law so pirated stuff are abundant. good copies of books all over the street, and i bought 18. traffic is crazy - roads are free for all so you can come in any direction and u-turn wherever you want. there seems to be only one traffic rule, and that is to avoid oncoming cars at the last possible minute.

tissue papers there are pink, staircases are extremely steep. streets are dusty, dirty, but you soon forget all that when you're downing beer as cheap as sixty cents (usd).

out of the town centre people live frugally. simple huts, no gates, sometimes just weaved palm leave flaps as doors. the kids run around naked, the mothers sit under shades and play sinple games to pass time.

most vietnamese in siem reap stay at the lake - floating boats as their homes. floating schools, floating churches, floating clinics, floating restaurants, even floating....

wait for my travelogue :)

posted by nyx at 9:15 AM | comments (5)

April 27, 2006

on mini hiatus

off to siem reap for five days. i feel vacant and still. no excitement no anticipation no expectations. i am an empty vessel and i await for the experience to wash over me.

exhale what is malaysia, inhale what is cambodia.

i will relish being a stranger.

received last minute calls - as if i'll be gone for months, sweet to know i'll be missed :) souvenir demands, safety concerns, a reminder to pack something warm etc etc. chats running longer than usual.

my room looks like it was raided by the tasmanian devil, i am hopelessly messy when i pack. bag is a tad bit heavier than i expected, most of the weight is the camera though, i think.

anyway, this is just to say that - i'll be far away in strange lands for a while, and i'll come back with pictures for everyone :)

posted by nyx at 11:55 PM | comments (1)

April 25, 2006

lonely planet's bluelist

i made a Top 10 Things To Do in Sabah list, go read it!

p/s: i did two more (yes i'm bored)
things to do in jonker street, melaka
top wildlife experience

posted by nyx at 7:17 PM | comments (0)

April 12, 2006

fireflies at kuala selangor

the creakings of a wooden sampan, splash of a rowing oar, inky darkness illuminated by a full moon.

the river is not wide - but 40 feet deep. murky waters. observed a few kampung houses by the river bank and imagined how awesome it would be to live there - hot quiet afternoons, boatrides to shady spots for two hours of reading, evening rendezvous down river.

abang boatman steered us closer to the banks and we observed the tiny worms glowing among the leaves. i asked him quietly whether they were eating, he said yes. asked him whether their numbers fluctuate according to seasons, he said - if it's dark you see more, today it's full moon, you see less. they are all here.

the fireflies light up the tree like tiny christmas lights. mini earth-bound stars. i was so close that they were a mere breath away from me.

again, i am humbled by nature.

posted by nyx at 11:43 AM | comments (3)

March 23, 2006

river of 1000 lingas

take a crazy king (jayavarman II) who fancies a river site. he likes it and likes it a whole lot. he tells his minions (jayavarman II declared himself god) to temporarily divert the river so that a thousand lingas can be carved upon the riverbed. and his word was law. the reason for this command - it is believed water that runs over lingas are fertile, and this river irrigates angkor's rice fields.

slightly below this field of 1000 carved linga riverbed are waterfalls that lands in a nice little pool. the crazy king takes fancy of this spot too. what does he do? again, he ordered his minions to divert the river temporarily while images of hindu deities were carved upon the river rocks, with patience, devotion and love. this area was to be the king's bathing area.

this site is called kbal spean, some 40 odd minutes drive from angkor wat. water from this river is still considered holy and sacred. saddeningly, vandalism happens.

a better article here

posted by nyx at 8:44 PM | comments (4)

March 21, 2006

a pub in siem reap

posted by nyx at 9:59 AM | comments (0)

March 14, 2006

urge

i feel like sleeping in a hut among kedah's green green padi fields

i feel like weaving through that emerald maze on a bicycle

i feel like wasting my afternoons away just staring off space and watching birds dance in the blue blue sky

posted by nyx at 2:24 PM | comments (0)

top three messy festivals to experience

songkran
where : thailand
when : april 13th to april 15th (or longer, depending where you are)
what : thai traditional new year
how messy : water and powder. water all over the streets, water from water guns, even elephants

holi
where : india
when : 2 days around late march or early april
what : hindu spring festival
how messy : water and multi coloured powder

la tomatina
where : bunol, eastern spain
when : last wednesday in august, salsa-riot lasts for 2 hours between 11am & 1pm
what : till today the origin of this food fight is unknown
how messy : 140 tonnes of tomato

posted by nyx at 12:40 PM | comments (1)

March 13, 2006

cameron highlands

posted by nyx at 6:12 PM | comments (1)

top ten small small things that i love in the guesthouses that i've stayed

in random order, they are:

1. open air shower and toilet with limerock as a backdrop at mambo chalets, railay - thailand
2. sarong blankets at sama sama guesthouse, melaka - malaysia
3. forest backdrop balcony with fireflies (and casually draped over the railing - snake's skin left for drying) at tropicana guesthouse, kota kinabalu - malaysia
4. hammocks among the charms of a heritage house courtyard in sama sama guesthouse, melaka - malaysia
5. bamboo weaved walls at mambo chalets, railay - thailand
6. restaurant at the end of the world and the deathly nightshade bar at shadow of the moon at half past four chalet, cherating - malaysia (just the cool names made the place)
7. geckos and monitor lizards creeping about panorama chalets, perhentian kecil - malaysia
8. white cotton mosquito nettings at sama sama guesthouse, melaka - malaysia
9. bamboo bench with big flat wooden coffee table complete with yellow lampost lights balcony at mambo chalets, railay - thailand
10. free all you can eat breakfast of toast, jam, egg and fruits served in the balcony with serenade of chirping birds at tropicana guesthouse, kota kinabalu - sabah

posted by nyx at 2:15 PM | comments (0)

March 12, 2006

back from melaka

cities stifle the truth in our souls

i basked under melaka's intense heat like a gecko hungry for warmth. this trip, like all my melaka trips - was filled with laughter and happy buzzes.

after dinner we took a slow stroll in the night market, there was a senior citizen karaoke competition going on. we paused and listened to them belt out some old chinese tunes. during one particular upbeat number - a fellow swayed to the beat and started dancing cha-cha below the stage.

it looks silly, it looks foolish. but there was so much joy and abandonment in his dance that it just went straight to my heart. i was touched, my eyes were moist. he reminded me of my grandparents' laughter. my wish is that my parents, i myself, when old, would still live life with that sweet foolish streak in us.

he who can't hear the music thinks the dancer is crazy

posted by nyx at 11:55 PM | comments (0)

March 10, 2006

friday rambles

nothing gives me more freedom than travelling. making music is a close second.

still very much psyched about cambodia. when i decided to go - my first assumption was that it would be difficult to get travelling partners - which was why i sponsored my brother to come with me. fast forward to today - two of my closest friends has bought tickets and confirmed their presence. which goes to show that if i stretch my wings and reach out - i won't be short of travelling companions.

this weekend - running away to melaka. running away from this wretched city full of memories that refuse to sleep within me. looking forward to chor tai dee sessions punctuated with beer laden slurs of cuss among the heat that is melaka. gonna catch up with my reading as well.

10,503 days old later she found out that within her - the power to make her dreams come true.

posted by nyx at 5:38 PM | comments (1)

March 3, 2006

weekend trip!

a family trip! it's been ages since our family actually coordinated one. last year we tried to fit in kenyir - but dad's schedule, mine and brothers' kept clashing. dad was so happy when we confirmed - made me feel really bad that i never took the effort to sit down and organise trips with them. i can't even remember when our last family outing was. but finally!! am quite excited :)

plus - i've never been to cameron highlands (gasp!) oughta be good to get away from the heat. gonna lug loads of books up and catch up on my reading. brother is going to do the same. i also want to take some photography, let's see what i'll come back with.

ah, even little overnight trips like this appease my hungry nomadic self.

posted by nyx at 6:38 PM | comments (1)

March 2, 2006

how do i appease this lust

woke up - walked to kitchen, made coffee. passed dad - morning greetings, then he said "look - air asia got offer, indonesia destinations!" and i thought - hmm..., why not do borobudur & prambanan? would go nicely with my angkor wat experience.

ah, the many places i would run away to.

posted by nyx at 7:20 AM | comments (0)

February 24, 2006

cambodia, cambodia

days fly and months pass. time is so slippery. next week marks the end of february - soon i'll be in cambodia :) still can't believe that i'll *actually* be face to face with angkor wat. scouring the net for some photography - training my eye so that i take some good ones while i'm there.

the entire temple is such a monument of art and expression of sacred love. i can't imagine myself being amongst those larger than life ruins. when i'm there - i'm touching history.

now my everyday self is possessed with the dream of cambodia. i am greedy - i want to do all and see all that siem reap has to offer. i want to extend my wings to phnom penh, i want the haunting boat ride into the darkness of tonle sap lake, i want that rickety train ride from phnom penh to sihanoukville, i want to eat fried spiders, i want the shock of s21, i want to come face to face with fresh water dolphins.

but - i have to contain myself. i only have five days - and in siem reap itself i am over-stretched. i want to take my time - of which i don't have the luxury of.

now - i live in thoughts of cambodia, dream cambodia. it is my current much needed escape from the insipidness of my rat racing existence.

from now till then - it is organising, selecting, familiarising, reading reading reading and mostly - dreaming.

such anticipation - it is a like a breath long held till i touch your land.

posted by nyx at 6:58 PM | comments (1)

February 23, 2006

travel bug

everytime mum and dad return from their frequent vacations i photoshop their pics before developing. this time i tweaked their cambodia pictures - and in the midst of altering their two hundred odd photos, i got bitten HARD by the travel bug. it is my face that should be in those pictures!! slammed my iron fist down and decided i just bloody have to go.

bribed my brother with a free trip and supplied him with reading materials to spark his interest in angkor wat. checked my schedule to see when the soonest long holiday is. decided - end of april. did some hard sales talk with my brother and sealed the deal within 24 hours :)

immediately purchased tickets. i still can't believe that i'm going, angkor wat is one of my dreams. five days....hardly enough, this waiting anticipating is sweet sweet serenade to my nomadic soul.

posted by nyx at 12:40 AM | comments (0)

January 3, 2006

back to the fishing village

i love small towns, everything is simple, stripped bare of nonsensical commercialism and farcical facades of superficialism that is so abundant in the city hub. as i looked at the people wandering about in their shabby but comfortable clothings, in their worn out scooters and scratched helmets - i wondered whether i could be contented living among them. i sure as hell would be comfortable, me being the bum that i am. but would it all be enough?

the lack of a good bookstore was the first that jumped into mind.

we painted the new room. chose a beautiful shade named forget-me-not that looked blue with hushed purple and wispy grey. lovely colour. painting walls has a therapeutic quality, i always enjoy that activity - especially if there's loud music blasting. a smoothly finished evenly coated wall is immensely satisfying. spreading the paint on wall feels like ice cream, cake icing.

went to the temple and sought my luck - wasn't too good, but i remain unfazed.

posted by nyx at 11:23 PM | comments (0)

November 23, 2005

south andaman coast travelogue

finally completed the travelogue! it's still not done to my satisfaction though, but i dont want to spend more time on it.

the quality of the images are set to maximum, which means the files are HEAVY (beware 56k users!)

i've neglected my blog haven't i? sigh. i'll be back with more things to say :) in the meantime, hop over to gypsylust and enjoy my south andaman coast travelogue

later :)

posted by nyx at 7:00 AM | comments (1)

November 10, 2005

2005 stamp collection (updated)

posted by nyx at 10:00 PM | comments (5)

October 28, 2005

all packed

hello nine days of only the sun, the beach and the sand. goodbye airconditioning. hello soft white sands, goodbye shoes and concrete pavements. hello warm brown skin, hello bare tummy kissed by the sun rays, hello frolicking in skimpiness, hello breathtaking sceneries, hello sunblock lathered skin, hello hello hello!

looking forward to my trip - and oddly looking forward to returning back to kl as well. will be away during the festive seasons - so no updates here till i return.

happy holidays y'all!

p/s: here's what i brought for my holiday read! a delightful story of witches and sorcery, castles and demons yadda yadda yadda!

posted by nyx at 5:53 PM | comments (1)

October 8, 2005

backpacking accomodation in kl

sorry for the lack of updates! this is not a proper one, just a quick post to share some cool guesthouses that one can stay around KL area.

Number Eight
Red Palm
Pujangga Homestay

Number Eight looks so cool - i wudn't mind staying there over the weekend just for the heck of it!

more updates later.

posted by nyx at 8:48 AM | comments (0)

September 26, 2005

2005 stamp collection (updated)

posted by nyx at 8:35 PM | comments (0)

September 25, 2005

back from sg chilling

solo fireflies darting across the darkness like impatient stars.

chilling waterfalls is leaner this time round. the river's level lower, and the air deadly still. we had a good time nonetheless, the chicken wings and hot dog turned out superbly. it was the grandest meal we had as campers.

proud and inebriated with that success, we brainstormed what to cook next time round, and among the suggestions that flew around were :

• ham choy tau foo mee hoon soup
  
• bakuteh + mee hoon
  
• steamboat
  
• american breakfast

mind you - four of us are crazy enough to carry these ideas out, in fact, brother is seriously contemplating ice cubes for perfectly chilled beer. i told him if he could hike in with ice, i'd bring two bottles of wine complete with four glasses ;)

it rained sporadically while we were trekking in, and out. how i love the sensation of rain trickling on my bare skin. how i love the melody of raindrops drumming upon the foliage. how i love the deep woody scent of a wet forest floor.

posted by nyx at 7:44 PM | comments (0)

September 24, 2005

weekend : leaving for chilling waterfalls

running away again this weekend. camping at chilling waterfalls - we can't seem to tear ourselves away from that site eventhough there are many other camping spots to venture into. it's too ideal, gorgeous waterfall, clean surroundings, safe trek, plenty of fire making materials, absolutely chilling river. again, i've written about this so many times that i'm (almost) sick of hearing myself repeat about sg chilling :)

was looking at the travelogue i did during my first trip there. that was the bestest, we were excited and filled with delicious uncertainty - wasn't sure whether we could find the waterfall and didn't know what to expect at all. in fact, we carried loads of food in for one mere night.

wised up the second trip. in fact, we thought we'd "upgrade" our camping experience by bringing in lamb chops. but all we did was burn em ;) hehe, the meal we had to improvise because of that mistake was the bestest meal eva - three puny sardines from one small can, baked beans, bread, and a lot of love.

this time - chicken wings, hotdogs, potato, maggi mee. and my essential sardines and baked beans. yum! we're expecting rain this time round. that'll be something different for us. figured no matter how rough it gets - it's just one night of our life.

so, good weekend y'all!

posted by nyx at 12:15 AM | comments (0)

September 20, 2005

rambles

my mind is blank. haven't updated properly in a while, my insides are gripped with desires to roam free.

i can't seem to qualm this thirst. i am really not saving money this year at all, and this could be forming into a bad habit.

oh but to travel! my spirit is clenched with that calling! and i'd spend whatever i have to be a nomadic pauper, because i believe the only proper way i can do this is the way that i am now - single, with no financial commitments whatsoever.

names of countries that i want to go are burning in my blood. there are birds trapped inside me that yearns to stretch their wings in the dusty unbeaten tracks. i need to heed this call before i am too set in life, before i grow roots.

on another note - matta fair. what a disappointment! there were only good deals for off peak periods next year. apart from that, the flight tickets and attractive "packages" are similarly priced as what you'd get if you walk into any travel agency. what a rip off!

i'm definately not going back next year.

i took a look at the packages offered by travel agencies and thought - heck, this is not the way i want to travel right now. i dont want people telling me i'd be doing this and that and going here and there today. i want to dictate my own itinerary. i want to be able to do things on a whim. i want to dilly dally. i want to up and go when i feel like i've had enough of one place. i want to change my mind. i want to embrace the indecisive side of me!

i want to walk through a row of guesthouses in a backpacker's joint and pick whichever that tickles my fancy instead of being lead (on a leash) into a pre arranged hotel. i want to haggle with cab drivers for the best price. i want to ask locals how to get to their train stations. i want to work hard during my holiday.

how's that.

darn i'm really indulging my whimsical side. i do admit though - one day i might enjoy the convenience of a prearranged vacation. but right now, "pre-arranged" feels like a dirty word.

posted by nyx at 9:18 PM | comments (2)

September 10, 2005

ah bummer

wot a disappointing report. go read this article about how tourism is threatening Angkor Wat.

grrr. i can imagine the place swarming with tourists like incessant bees. what a put off. ideally i'd like to linger around the ancient ruins, and slowly drink in the atmosphere. but that's just naive thinking, they'll probably be hordes of impatient people scuffling about with locals pestering you to purchase souvenirs. grrrr.

the mecca of travellers naturally becomes a commercial spotlight, how sad how true. even the exorbitant entrance fee of USD20 per day cannot suppress the damage that over-commercialism eventually brings. it's an inherent attribute found in carelessly implemented tourism - exploitation. milking them like cash cows, cutting up the goose to get its golden egg. real imbecilic short foresighted greedy acts that royally pisses me off. grrrr.

sigh.

still. i have to go there one day.

posted by nyx at 12:48 PM | comments (3)

September 4, 2005

if you're ever in bangkok....

and if you're bookishly inclined, you've absolutely GOT to go here:

posted by nyx at 11:18 AM | comments (2)

September 3, 2005

itchy feet, restless heart

i'm itching to up and go.

trying to qualm my urge by planning for my next big break - 9 days during hari raya and deepavali. reading lonely planet, scouring the net for info, drawing up budgets.

nine days is just too short, and oct/nov is just too far away.

dad said he made a mistake with my brother and i when were we young. i raised my brow and asked "huh?". he said he shouldn't have brought us travelling so often as it firmly embedded a travelbug in our souls (in kindergarden i went to west malaysia, kuching, brunei, singapore; in primary school to england, europe, the states, canada, hongkong, manila; in secondary school our family decided that our native state has as much to offer as overseas and we traveled sabah extensively).

i told him it wasn't a mistake, it's a legacy.

and it's addictive.

i have no idea where i want to go in the next break, or what i want to see (temples? more beaches? nature?) and i relish this uncertainty (it's full of possibilities).

bali? beaches, temples. cambodia? angkor wat. vietnam? limerocks among padi fields. bangkok? khaosan, temples, the food. southern andaman coast? islands islands and gorgeous lime rocks.

i want to work out how to get there the cheapest, and have a rough idea of how much accomodation will cost, that's it. the itinerary will unfold itself while i'm there.

jokingly told my mum yesterday that i want to take a personal loan to fund my itch, enough for me to backpack two years then come back and work hard to pay it off. and my ultimate backpacking trip is this - to travel from malaysia (without plane) upwards, making my way to penang, langkawi cross over to thailand's southern andaman coast (so many islands there!) and make my way up to bangkok. cover thailand, vietnam, laos, cambodia, myanmar then cross over to yunan and cover china. from there - loosely follow the silk road, making my way to eastern europe.

[the silk road routes]

china-korea-japan. mongolia-china-tibet-nepal-india. egypt-turkey-greece-italy. then it's a grand europe journey. let's be greedy and throw in europe-africa. hehe.

it's saturday morning and i'm mapping out my dreams.

i promised myself that i'll travel this year. told myself since i cannot afford to go out of malaysia yet that i'll explore my own country.

my stamps are missing sarawak (which i'm definately going next year for rainforest world music festival) and cameron highland/fraser's hill, kenyir lake. i want to see sandakan and semporna again, see how much it has changed since i was last there. maybe next year.

it's saturday morning and i'm dreaming too much :)

later.

posted by nyx at 11:08 AM | comments (2)

September 2, 2005

2005 stamp collection (updated)

posted by nyx at 10:09 AM | comments (0)

September 1, 2005

backpacking culture

i admit i'm a backpacker wannabe.

every place i visit i seek out budget hostels, guesthouses, frugal motels to stay in where seasoned travellers flock together and mingle like familiar strangers.

i hunt these places and stay there. cocooned among their tales and easy chatter - i am almost convinced that i am a hardcore travelbug.

i am addicted to this ambience - where with lean pockets, we are united with a common desire for the unknown.

a different culture opens up.

everyone sits down for a chat. we tell tales of our own country. we relish in our uniqueness. we are eager to share travelling tips (oh you can hitch a bus at bangkok..., you gotta stay at this great house-stay in...). everyone has a different accent, comes from a different place, been to different places and all these cards are different stories on the table where with beer in hand we chat till wee hours of the morning.

i am hooked to this easy camaraderie, this unaffected bonding.

and i like traveling without trimmings, i like the basics, i want only bare necessities - it makes me feel hungry and alive.

out with high thread-count bedsheets, goose down pillows, bubble baths, welcome drinks, fruit baskets, fluffy towels, mini-bars, tv, free stationery. generic hotels with its aloof detachedness is bland and unappealing.

in with mosquito nets, sarong blankets, common kitchen, wooden shacks, table fans, mattresses on the floor, padlocked doors, toilets without roofs, a-frame huts.

we don't use suitcases, we carry rugsacks. we check our mails at cyber cafes not in business centres. we keep travel journals. we exchange books instead of buying new ones. our best friend is not a visa card but a lonely planet guide. we choose bus over air-conditioned cabs, trains over airplanes.

we listen to bob marley and know that everything is gonna be alright.

we we we, i'm talking as if i'm one of them.

sigh, told you i'm a wannabe backpacker, a junkie for their culture.

one day i'll be one for real :)

posted by nyx at 9:03 PM | comments (2)

August 31, 2005

so i'm back

five days four nights of nature, i hardly seem to know how to use a computer anymore (grin). hardly took pictures as well, i was a total beach bum (no handphone no camera!) and a water baby.

took a late bus to kuala besut. reached there at six, had a cup of coffee and hopped onto the 7am boat to perhentian. there was only the boat, the sea, the sky and the rising sun.

reached there and walked a bit hunting for a chalet. found a rustic looking one, chucked our bags in and explored the islands.

hot day. i was in a foreign country - bikini gurls splayed under the sun on their pareos nose deep in books, gorgeous man half naked with gloriously tanned shoulders. we are talking about star-quality men. men that stepped right out of ralph lauren advertisement. friendly too. skin country. comfortable-in-your-naked-skin country.

i love it.

sand was everywhere, in your eyes, your book, your drink and it was heaven to have them everywhere. long beach of perhentian kecil has the softest sand of them all. every step you take you sink in to your knees.

everyone reads. there are book exchange stalls everywhere. i finished all four books that i brought and exchanged them for travel guides.

i'm brown. coffee brown. like milo. brown as a warm toasted nut. like burnt caramel. the sun soaked its warmth right to my bones and i'm dreading air conditioned malls or cabs. my feet are used to soft white sand where me toes plays hide and seek and i'm so not looking forward to wearing shoes and high heeled whatever.

i like to feel the sun carresing the small of my back. i like walking about with bare shoulders. i like sun kissed tummies. (i like doing all this while watching the men play beach volleyball). i like how the warmth of the sun stays in my skin through the night.

mornings there are slow awakenings. you wake up grumpy. you drag yourself out of bed and find that the sun is too bright. you walk your gloom to the cafe. you find a shaded spot and order for coffee. then the sun does its thing - it stirs life. the wind rustles among the leaves and you feel lighter. a sip of coffee and you find yourself swaying to the rhythm of the coconut trees. before you know it you're looking forward to an entire day of nothing but the sand in everything.

i love the breakfast menu - american breakfast, muesli with yoghurt and fruits, tomato egg and cheese toast, pancakes. a pot of coffee, orange juice. dinner - bbq fish, prawns and the best of it all - lobster. beer is seven bucks.

cool accessory there - a rolled up mat. most guys walk around with one tucked under their arms.

activities - snorkeling, kayaking, rock climbing, batik painting classes, jungle biking, para-sailing, island hopping. beach volleyball. frisbee. beach bumming. plenty to do.

everyone says hello to you - with eye contact and lingering smiles (unlike the city). almost every girl wears a bikini (made it easier for me to be bold and strip).

snorkelling made me miss diving. chasing fishes, teasing clams, tempting clown fishes to dance upon my fingers - i forgot what a water baby i am.

disappointments - no beautiful sunsets, cloudy dawns, the sight of ten tourists chasing after a single turtle, bad visibility in the water, dead looking corals, rubbish floating in the ocean.

delights - crystal clear water at the shore (jelly green, sapphire blue), abundant fishes, soft soft white sand, so many coconut trees, bbqed lobster, muesli with fruit and yoghurt, bob marley music, gorgeous tanned skins, how books are everywhere, friendly yummy men.

anyway, i'm rambling. i want to give a proper account of my trip - another time.

posted by nyx at 10:22 PM | comments (1)

August 26, 2005

mini pause : i am away

posted by nyx at 7:51 PM | comments (0)

August 25, 2005

beachside essentials (for beach bumming babes)

(ditzy post - infected by holiday mood!)

will be in perhentian islands for five glorious days. i'll come back looking like a shrivelled black raisin, albeit a happy one.

mentally going through my packing list while imagining my scantily clad self bumming on the beach for hours with a big fat book.

here's what i think i need.

firstly, a huge ass tote bag to stuff my other absolut essentials.

books, snorkels, camera, wallet, water, snacks, suntan lotion, sunglasses, lip balm, body lotion and what nots all chucked inside like a trendy islander.

of course, if you're by the seaside, you absolutely need pareos for all sorts of reasons, like - to provide shade from the too glaring sun, to spread on the sand as a temp mat, to wrap around self and hide problem areas of the body (too fat thighs? slight belly?) and look casually glam whilst doing that, etc etc. really, an absolut essential tropical accessory that.

to top that off - a beach hat. wide brim, straw hats, fisherman caps. anything to tame the wild sea-soaked hair and look rustically delicious at the same time.

ah, lessee. whatelse.

posted by nyx at 12:05 PM | comments (10)

August 22, 2005

2005 stamp collection (updated)

posted by nyx at 7:38 AM | comments (2)

August 16, 2005

chilling waterfalls

posted by nyx at 8:13 PM | comments (3)

of weekends and books

busy weekends make weekdays feel long and dreary.

last weekend - went camping again. ran away from kl and all that haze. we rushed from work to kuala kubu - reached there about four-ish and hiked in. we were at the camp site around 6pm. the four of us, arrogant campers - brought in lamb chops for dinner (konon high class). wrapped the meat in aluminium foil and cooked it in the bonfire. alas - we left it in too long and it became harder (and blacker) than charcoal. humbled - we ate sardine and baked bean sandwhich for dinner instead, hehe (delicious!). was a good trip.

this weekend - either serendah or melaka. chris is back and i promised to visit. it's been too long away from melaka, am craving for wantan mee, sama sama, reggae music, the cats, melaka's heat and jonker street.

next weekend - i took two and a half days off to be a beach bum. glorious five days of sun bliss - i can't wait to be thoroughly baked and tanned. contemplating on a holiday read - i need a big fat juicy book, preferably something deliciously trashy. any suggestions?

speaking of books, i found another author that i like. alain de botton - picked up his on seeing and observing among the penguin happy birthday books. slightly philosophical, he picks apart the various human emotions and rambles about his take on it. good read. splurged on two of his books yesterday, on love and art of travel. can't wait to devour them :)

posted by nyx at 11:40 AM | comments (4)

July 3, 2005

kuching plans (dashed) & a travelogue

omg its july - half a year flew by in a wink! :(

wanted to make it to sarawak for the rainforest world music festival, in fact was on the verge of purchasing plane tickets and confirm room reservations (singgahsana looks like a lovely backpacker's place to bunk in) when i was called to a emergency meeting in the office and given a dateline which clashes with the trip

argh!

:(

anyway. been working on a travelogue. so far i've only done up the recent chilling waterfalls camping trip. go to gypsy.eatingchaos.com. the pictures are real heavy, i opted for quality instead of fast loading speed. in the future i may password protect that space since the pictures are kinda personal.

posted by nyx at 10:59 PM | comments (0)

June 28, 2005

2005 stamp collection (updated)

posted by nyx at 12:00 AM | comments (4)

June 27, 2005

pics of the trip

trekking into the chilling waterfalls - crossing one of the six rivers

view while hiking in

took a right turn and the waterfall dramatically stood before us - first glimpse of chilling waterfalls

chilling waterfalls in all its glory

close up of the double cascading waterfall

overall view (i can't stop taking pictures of it!)

waterfall and the stream below

the cove behind that we climbed into (too dark to see?)

our platform where we camped

more pictures of where we camped (because i love it so), this one with waterfall as its backdrop - we have first class view from where we slept

the forest behind our camp (360 degrees surrounded by nature - exactly what i wanted)

even more pics (can't see my my brother's tent which was on the sand - it's softer and more comfy to sleep on)

we didn't sleep inside the tent. instead - we slept star gazing in the open air (freezing cold at night!)

see the view from where i slept! (that's not me of course)

another view of the river (this is where i sat perched for my morning coffee gazing at the river and forest)

the amount of food we brought for one night to feed four mouths!

and the beer chilling in the chilling river ;)

bonfire

cooking dinner - maggi mee with luncheon meat, sausages and sardine, yum, we all agreed that nothing in kl tastes better. next time round however, we're bringing in lamb chops :)

doing nothing and happy doing nothing

this is breakfast - tuna sandwich, baked beans and coffee

boiling water for morning cuppa

the tree trunk again - one of the spots where i had my morning coffee (without the strangers of course)

the stone arrangements that i was talking about earlier - tinged the place with a paganish ambience. i followed the example set - these are arranged by yours truly. how cool is it if i saw them again the next time i hiked in.

last river we crossed as we left the vicinity. the road was less than five minutes walk from here, and we were reluctant to return to civilization. the four of us lingered here, washed out feet, rested, ate some snacks, changed and stared at the river. we talked about when we'd return. finally with collective sighs, we headed back to tar roads and the traffic jam of kuala lumpur.

posted by nyx at 12:58 AM |