I just had a brief conversation with Minam Rinpoche and learnt:

1. The situation in Yushu has stabilised but the greatest concern now is the coming winter. In two months or so the weather is going to turn cold again. As we know, the winter there is harsh and temperatures is sub zero. Without proper shelter, it is going to be a huge challenge for the poor folks there.

2. Unreported but the Yushu area was recently struck by cyclone. Apparently, about 200 were killed.

3. Along with the rain, the folks there have to contend with the strong winds. Out in the open, it is tough.

4. Come winter, tents will not be able to hold out the cold. It is difficult to know how best to deal with the situation. Hopefully, we can do something. Life is indeed a struggle there. Each will have to fend for themselves but again, hopefully, Minam Rinpoche and others will be able to come up with something. From sources, he has worked tirelessly to do the best he can.

It is difficult for us to imagine how harsh cold can be. Speaking from expereinces of brief exposures to cold, it is terrible. For Yushu, where food is inadequate, facilities non-existent, the suffering is compounded.

‘Five for one dorlah’

‘Buy sum thing’

‘Xiao je ni hern piao liang’

‘See temple so lucky’

‘Temple nothing to see’

Such are the phrases you hear over and over again while in Siem Reap and Angkor. The first three at least. The last two were uttered by a cynical ticket inspector at East Mebon ruins. (Their tags say controllers). In fact, he was the only cynical Cambodian I have met on my recent trip there. Cambodians are very friendly warm people.

Siem Reap is a bustling tourist city. I wouldn’t really call it a city but what’s in a name? Thanks to Airasia, it has become more accessible, cost wise. Not too long ago, we had MAS and other airlines fleecing us off. But having said that Airasia is not necessarily cheap. You have to be careful with them. You have to be very sure of your itinerary because I am sure Airasia makes a fair bit from cancellations and no-shows. I know because I have contributed to their balance sheet this way.

Siem Reap Old Market

Getting to Siem Reap is a breeze. I did this time with Airasia from Kuala Lumpur and it is just like riding a bus. You wake up early (the flight is 7am), walk a few miles to the aircraft toting your hand carry, climb the ramp, sit up straight and in two hours you are in Siem Reap. By the way, I would suggest straight seats instead of the ones they have now which are concave and bad for the back.

Siem Reap River - Idyllic

Like I said, Siem Reap is a bustling city. Correctly it is a kampong with some very expensive hotels. The most expensive can cost over US2000. On the other end of the scale, you can bunk in for US3 a night.

We stayed in an unnatural house

Shopping malls you will not find less so air-conditioned places. There is a KFC and Lucky Burger, the Cambodian equivalent of McDonalds. Lucky burger is better than McD, in my opinion. I suppose most are in for a few days and most of the time tourists are out in the Angkor ruins so air con malls are not the in thing. The 7-Eleven has their origins here. It is called 6-Eleven.

Siem Reap 7-Eleven

As in Phuket, the place teems with Caucasians. Some appear to have been around for a quite some time and though not as common a sight as in Phuket, I do see white men with local women in tow. The travel crowd tends to be backpackers and there were a few ugly behaviors from them. Coming from a better part of the world, hmmm…

There is the interesting Pub Street. Yes, there actually is a road sign that says pub street. I wonder what the old name was but if it had been some local hero, sorry. Practicality or money comes first.

Pub street is food street. There you can have a draft from 50 cents, if you dine there that is. This is one road that starts from the local food stalls at one end to the next junction. That is not all as there are passages, what we would call back lanes that have been converted to seating areas and restaurants. There you find western fare as well as local Khmer food. For US3, you can get something to bite but if you fork out US10, you can have quite a fill. Is that cheap? I find food expensive but maybe it was because my brain keep converting them and comparing them to what is available back home.

I hear that the restaurants in pub street are foreign owned. The locals put up the buildings and foreigners rent them and fit them out. What happens is what you get to see, a good mixture of tastefully done up joints. Once inside those narrow passages, the dust and dirt of Cambodia seems so far away.

It seems these joints fold up often. Competition is stiff and investors with thin budgets don’t last long. Some though have been around long as the locals can remember. For now, it seems likely that pub street is there to stay. For good or for bad, time will tell. Cambodia is poor and the poor don’t get to choose their destiny, not much. The dollar speaks loud. By the way, the greenback seems more like the national currency than the riel. What does that say? Should the Cambodians do something?

Next to pub street are the local roadside stalls. I did not take a photo but these local food stalls are make-shift off the road side concrete balustrades. You won’t see the balustrades as they drape a plastic sheet over it. The cooking area is one side and guests sit on the other near the road.

Siem Reap's Best Cook

Food good? The BBQs are ok but anything fried or soup comes with loads of seasoning and sodium glutamate. No, not for me. And the price is not cheap either. A plate of fried noodles is US3 to US4. That’s aircon comfort in Kuala Lumpur. Same bland fare, the only difference is that in Siem Reap, the food is fresh whereas in KL, it’s microwave.

Best Food in Siem Reap

Now I must really talk about the best food to be found in Siem Reap. Nothing like good local good. This is the one. Porridge with pig’s blood and internals. This stall is just across Lucky Mall. Make friends with the flies. They are very friendly.

This time I was in Cambodia, Siem Reap specifically. There I learnt something new about coffee.

Me and the inn owner debated whether Cambodian or Vietnamese coffee was better. In between he fixed me a cup. Cambodian style, lime to go with the coffee! That was when I first learn of lime coffee.

Does this strange mixture taste good? Well, it goes quite well and I would not mind another cup. You’ve got to try it yourself though. Strange flavor perhaps but quite nice really.

Cambodian coffee is relatively mild. Very unlike the Vietnamese variety which is bitter and caffeine loaded. No burnt sugar taste like the Malaysian ones. In fact it has a sweet tang to it. The Khmers call this real coffee and I agree. But if you are looking for that expresso pump, don’t. You can drink a bucket and there won’t be enough oomph to perk you.

I think adding lime juice is not a local thing. Probably, some kwailo came along and found the bitter not to their liking and squeezed in some lime. The ever observant Cambodian (they went through a war, remember) mistook this and thought that all foreigners like lime with their coffee. So lime coffee was born.

So, next time you find yourself in Cambodia, try the local coffee. And ask for the lime.

“We all know she has no soul—she is an inanimate object made of steel, plywood and spruce. But in the dark, silent, hangar, surrounded by tricycle landing gears and sleek aluminum, the Staggerwing sits in profound majestic grace.”

That’s how the story begins..sort of. The story of Captain Biff.

Why this interested me is very simple. Every boy dreams of sailing the high seas. Every girl dreams of flying the heavens. Every young boy worth his marbles dreams of flying round the world.

well, at least I had dreamt of tramping round the world. A vagabond maybe. Probably it was the story of Apple John, you know the story of a tramo who always had shade and apples to eat cos he always plant the seeds from the apples wherever he goes or laid his hat for a summer snooze. Ok, it was actually a morality story (eat what you sow) but to a young boy fascinated by adventure, the image stuck. Hasn’t left yet I might add!

If flights of fancy catches you, read all about how one man put together a WWI aircraft and intended to sail it round the world. Not really non-stop or the media hyped kind of heroics but one rich man’s flight of fancy. Not really vagabond-ing but well, i’m not young no more so this will do. Can actually hear the sneer from the lady. Woman never understand this man thing you see.

Birds on Lower Windows of Songtsen Library

Thanks India Addict… for providing the photos of the birds of Songtsen Library.

I was told that the birds mistook the sky reflected in glass of the Library and mess hall windows and flew right into them. That accounts for the many bumps you see on the head of the birds around Dehra Dun.

A kind lady (was she German?) sponsored for the stick on silhouettes of the birds on the glass so that the birds will not continue getting more bumps. Seemed it worked.

The first picture is of the mess hall, the second of the vintage Mercedes once used by HH The Dalai Lama, the third inside the audience room of HH Chetsang Rinpoche where the very regal Chetsang Holiness poses with visitors. Second from right is the Ven Chen Chung who is in retreat now.

I have also taken the liberty of including two more pictures, taken one cold chilly night, of the library and King Songtsen Gampo on his horse. Last year, there was some maintenance work done on the base and it should be ok now. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did the library.

Birds at Songtsen Library Mess Hall

HH Dalai Lama Vintage Mercedes

Pure Land of HH Chetsang Rinpoche

King Songtsen Gampo - Surreal Warrior

Songtsen Library under Full Moon

HaLong Bay Vietnam

This picture I took of Ha Long Bay is just great.

Compared to two decades ago, Vietnam is now so accessible. Its natural beauty reminds me of Sihanoukville in Cambodia.

If you visit these places, it is difficult to resist jumping into the waters for a dip. Having seen beaches deteriorate in the name of development, its pristine beauty brings back beautiful memories. Quiet sandy beaches, lulling sounds of waves breaking against the sea shore…what more can I say?

Hope you enjoy this shot as much I did taking it.

If you are travelling or thinking of visiting Halong Bay, you can fly to Hanoi direct and catch a local tour from there. Tourism is an industry so there should not be any problem arranging a tour to Halong Bay. There are many operators but do check them out. The meals are often compromised so if you are into food, ask what they are offering if not you may get served ONLY one prawn each! (that is their version of seafood)

The peak season is summer but then the heat is stifling. This is where the vehicle taking you there is very important. It is worthwhile to check out with the tour operator what they use to get you there. Be careful with the 8 seater vans. I had one on the way back from Halong Bay to Hanoi and as it turned out, the aircon did not work and the seats were uncomfortable with no lean back and no leg room. So, do check them out before putting your money down.

India Milk Tea and Pakorra

Chai or milk tea is one of the wonders of India.

Anyone who travels India will not miss this wonderful broth. It is made from boiling tea leaves in milk and water. I hear the best combination is 1 part water and 1 part milk with some sugar to suit your taste.

Chai..ai.. that’s one of the sweetest sounds on any long train ride. All train rides are long. Chaiwallas, yes, them young ‘uns who lug pails of tea, tiny glasses (real glass not plastic) coin pouch and the ubiquitous towel for wiping is that one part of the trainscape of India you will carry home with you.

Train chai is, I must say, cannot be compared to the road side ones. They are bit too sweet and the tea rather thin. No clouds in the tea as they say.

The long wait makes the tea taste better

My favorite this time round is the same chai but with a difference. I call a “special”, cinnamon and a teaspoon scoop of cream. It makes wonders to the tea. Come 4 in the evening, I will begin to fantasize and within the half hour I will have begun walking that dusty stretch to my favorite chai stall. In fact, I think that the North Indian winter and hot chai stands at the top of India’s delight.

Another wonder of Northern India is Pakorra. It is dhal bean paste mixed with onions and deep fried in oil. The best so far is in Biharigal a short hour out of Dehra Dun on the downhill route to New Delhi. My driver , Solu, took me to what he says is the best.

The Picture of Sai Baba is just behind the Boss

It is on the north bound side of the road. The stall owner is a Muslim and I can only suggest you look for the water standpipe and a picture of Sai Baba on the wall. Not much help perhaps but trust your luck. Try the water too. It comes straight off the ground. I don’t really know how deep they sink those pipes but everyone I look at seems hale and hearty.

I remember the smiling face and consider myself so lucky to actually have seen it. I took this photo last year and am reposting it again. Hope you like it. (this year there was only one eye.

I remember Ernesto who told me one of the other eye is Venus (or was it Jupiter he said). Silly me argued that they were satellites cos they don’t blink.

Ernesto was right. One of them is a planet. My son says it is Jupiter. Looking at the night sky the other night with Ronald when there were no rain clouds, I am quite certain one of the eyes of the smiling face is indeed Jupiter.

I now have the urge to buy a refractor telescope. Purpose? To see if I can see the four moons of Jupiter. Why? Just for the heck of it.

Talking about altitude sickness. It usually starts with a slight throbbing of the head and if not taken care of, burst into a full blown migraine. It can start at any time and you should stop and rest. Further physical exertion will only make it worse. Some get hit so bad they throw out every three steps. This is no joke.

The herbal preparation Hong Jing Tian which you can get at the Tibetan drug shop seems to help but they advise that you should take it a week or two before your departure. It costs me about 40 yuan for a one week pack. It is a general tonic and apparently is ok for daily consumption but check your blood pressure for any misfires.

The scientific name of the main herb is Rhodiola Rosea. It is said to increase mental and physical stamina so maybe that is the reason why it helps with altitude sickness. I read somewhere that it is also used to promote hormonal balance which could also mean that your libido may get a boost  .. nice..

I had a glance at the Chinese herbs on my packet and noticed that it also contains a variety of ginseng as well. That would account for some people saying that they get ‘hot’ after taking the drug. A nun who was travelling with us had this complaint but I think it was because she was not taking in sufficient water. She was, you see, trying to avoid too many pee stops along the long journey.

This next one is very important. Try to avoid baths and getting yourself exposed when in areas of high altitude. Washing your hair is a definite no. The air is very thin and dry so it is very easy to catch a cold. This cold is not like the common cold but is more like a reaction to the different climate. Tibetan medicine would call it an imbalance of the body energies. This is a malady which is better to avoid than to try to cure.

Have a safe trip!

Bus Ride in India..Hanging On

This morning I discovered a great way to keep fit and those muscles warmed up.

It is not yoga. Actually it is the ride on an Indian bus.

All India buses are by and large fully packed as they chug along stopping at each stop picking up and dropping off passengers as they go. I discovered that hanging on to the rails as the bus swings and jerks stops and starts is a great way to stretch and bring blood to the muscles.

By hanging on and adjusting to each and every swerve, many muscles are given a workout. Each movement calls many muscles into action, stretching and contracting in turns.

I noticed that these were isometric exercises as the muscles were held for several seconds just like what happens in yoga. It was good too as there was very little strain and I hopped off the bus rather fresh from my “standing room” only ride.

So, next time you are in India, take the bus. It is a great workout and beats the toot toot as it is safer. And cheaper too.