Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane is the capital of Laos. Very quiet town, just like Luang Prabang.

That Luang stupa (said to contain a hair of the Buddha)

Monk hunting again! (Not sure why the pic is blurry)

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang is the old capital of Laos. It's a very peaceful town with a large monk population.

Monk

Monk doing laundry

Temple

Sunset views on top of Mount Phousi

Night market

Bangkok and River Kwai, Thailand

Our tour started in Bangkok, Thailand. Here's our similar itinerary for future reference.



We only spent half a day in Bangkok and visited the major sites. I definitely would like to go back some day (when garbage cans don't have a tendency to blow up).

Tuk Tuk (best way to get around town)

Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Monks (First monks of my monk collection!)


Temple in Bangkok. We've seen so many I lost track.

In the afternoon, we drove to River Kwai (near the Myanmar border). You might recall the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai". We spent 2 nights in bamboo raft houses floating on the river.

We did an elephant ride. We should get our pictures soon.

Mon Village School

Recommendations:
Accommodation: The River Kwai Jungle Rafts

Now Boarding Flight to Phuket, Thailand

I am finally unjetlagged enough to post some pictures of our trip! We had such a great time. I miss our daily adventures. Before joining our Explore group in Bangkok, we spent a few days relaxing in Phuket. We stayed at the Katathani Beach Resort located in the Southwest coast of Phuket Island in secluded Kata Noi Bay. The secluded beach was essential as Phuket beaches can get quite busy. I posted pictures of the resort back in September. December weather in Phucket is great (~30C every day).

Well deserved holiday!
Kata Noi Bay
By the beach...

By the pool...

We did a 25km bike tour. It's a great way to discover the island. The resort is great, but it could be anywhere on the planet and it would make no difference. Our guide was Piti from Biketours Thailand.

Local people making chili paste. Just watching made my eyes water!

Rubber trees. Eh oui, rubber comes from trees just like maple syrup! People collect the liquid around 2 am every day otherwise it gets too hot. They bring dogs with them to scare the snakes away.


Actually making rubber. One third rubber liquid, one third water, and one third unknown chemical. It's unbelievable the amount of work involved in making rubber. Thai rubber is exported to China. It is used to make all sorts of things including condoms and tires.


Having homemade iced coffee. Thailand has a small Muslim population (2 millions).

Action Shot!

Resting


Taxi!



We had dinner on the beach one night. I forgot to put mosquito repellent. I paid for it. Fifty Thai mosquito bites the next day. Ouch.


He. He.

This was Phuket. Stay tuned for more...

Recommendations:
Accomodation: Katathani Beach Resort
Dining: Wine Spectator Award restaurant Mom Tri's Boathouse & Villa Royale. Great food, extensive wine list, beachview.
Activity: Bike Tours Thailand
Miscelleneous: Mosquito repellent at night

Back home (almost)

I am currently in the Maple Leaf lounge of the Vancouver airport. We left Bangkok roughly 20 hours ago. After layovers in Taiwan and South Korea, we're finally back to Canada. I am totally jet lagged and sick with the worse cold ever. Another couple of hours and we'll be home. I'll post pictures soon, but the selection process is going to take some time. We have over 700 pictures!

Thank you all for your comments! I read your blogs religiously :-).

Happy New Year from Hoi An, Vietnam!

Or Happy Next Year as some people say here! We arrived in Asia over two weeks ago. After spending some time in Phuket, we joined our group in Bangkok. We're having a great time so far. I am most impressed with the food. I am generally picky overseas but I haven't stopped eating since we arrived here. Not to mention all the beer the British and Australian people on our tour are getting me used to!

Today we went to a cooking class held in a local restaurant. We first went to the market to buy all of our ingredients (among other things very alive squids and shrimps). We then made spring rolls, squid salad (hmm not so good), fried rice (pronouced "flied lice" around here), and shrimp/cashew stir fry. It was great despite my 3 rd degree burn (ok, 1/2 degree burn) caused by the boiling oil.

Salut!

I passed, I passed!

Looks like I still remember how to write a multiple choice exam.I passed my marketing research exam, whee!

Quebec and the whole nation thing

Being born and raised in Quebec City, I’ve been asked a million times what I think about the new status of Quebec within a united Canada. The answer is… What’s a nation?

My preliminary thoughts:

#1 Before defining Quebec as a nation, shouldn’t the concept of nation be defined? Now we’re working backwards trying to come up with a definition that will make Quebec a nation. How silly is that? Very silly.

#2 It was a dumb, opportunist political move by the Conservative party. One aiming at stealing much needed seats from the Bloc Quebecois. Any party voting against the motion would have risked losing Quebec’s support. Who in their right mind was going to do that? Since all parties voted for it, we’re left with no winners and a big huge constitutional mess ahead.

#3 The “within a united Canada” part never made it to Quebec. Defining Quebec as a nation is only going to fuel the separatist movement. Thanks a lot, Steve.

Liberal Leadership

It could be worse, I suppose. Bob Rae and his NDP ideologies could have won. I know, terrifying thought.

The only positive thing about Stéphane Dion is his PhD in Sociology ;-). Not only is he not liked in English Canada, Quebecers don’t particularly like him either. What were the delegates thinking? They simply went for safety. Dion is squeaky clean and has enough experience not to make controversial comments at the wrong time.

The party needed new blood. Michael Ignatieff was new blood. This sucks. *sigh*

Back to school

I realized this summer that I had way too much time on my hands. To remedy the situation, I enrolled in a Marketing Research program through an American university. It’s a one year certificate that can be completed at my own pace. My first exam is next Thursday. The past two weeks have been a school boot camp because I am facilitating focus groups in Eastern Canada next week and won’t have much time to devote to my studies.

I hope I remember the strategy involved in writing a multiple choice exam. I haven’t written one of those in forever. First, Sociology is not big on multiple choice exams (compared to Psych for example). Students usually get essay questions. Second, I haven’t written an exam since my third year undergrad. Course evaluations were usually based on participation, papers, and presentation.

The first part of the course focuses more on the “market” aspect rather than the “research” although I do have to memorize confidence interval and sample size formulas! I’ve discovered that what I am really passionate about is research, not business. Product management, distribution channels, ewwwww!

Go Garth Turner Go

For those who don't know, MP Garth Turner was kicked out of the Conservative Party last October because he spoke his mind (how shocking!). Today, he gave up his Conservative membership and here's what he had to say:

"This is not easy for me," said Mr. Turner, adding he had been a Conservative his entire life. "But I want my party to believe in free speech, diversity of opinion, co-operation, equality of all people, progressive social values, true environmental protection and stand against intolerance, bigotry and exclusion."

That says it all. It is a perfect description of what the Progressive Conservative party WAS before it was taken over by the Alliance Party and its despotic leader. It's now the total opposite. What a shame.

I highly recommend Garth's blog. His analysis of the MacKay-Stronach soap opera is priceless. Leave it to Garth to tell it like it is. I love him! Garth for Prime Minister!

Happy Day for Humanity

This gotta be the best political news we’ve had in long time. The Democrats won a majority of seats in the House AND the Senate according to the latest projection (although recount is likely).

I see this as a message for Canadians. Americans have tried the bigoted, anti-environment, pro-war, religious extremist party. After six years and much damage control ahead, a majority has regained its sanity. Let’s learn from our neighbour’s mistake and kick the Conservatives out before it’s too late!

New condo coming along!

We had a walk-through today. Our closing date is approaching, less than four months left.

Living room

Our office

Our bedroom

It always looks smaller without the dry-wall (was the same with our house). I love the giant windows and the 12ft ceiling.

Birthday Girl

Happy birthday to me! Today is my 27th birthday. I’ve had to explain a million times why the Husband and I won’t “do anything special” or why he won’t give me a gift. Let me explain this once and for all.

It’s our money. If he buys me a gift, I am in fact paying for it. That’s not really a “gift”, is it? This “gift” would likely be useless because if I needed it, I would have bought it already. I don’t wait for my birthday to buy something I need.

Let’s add things up (conservatively):

My birthday: $100
His birthday: $100
Christmas: $100 x 2
Our wedding anniversary: $100 x 2
Our dating anniversary: $100 x 2
Valentine’s Day: $100 x 2

Total: $1,000

$1,000 spent on the accumulation of useless “stuff” that takes up valuable space in our small condo. Instead, we spend the money on joint experiences. In other words, it gets invested (hehe) in our travel, wine, or dining budget over the year.

Destination: Political Unrest

It took me a couple of days after the coup to get used to the idea that Thailand was not going to have a democratically elected government during our trip. Oh well, I can live with a curfew.

North Korea’s nuclear test is the icing on the cake. We have a three hour layover in Seoul, South Korea. Fun times!

Baby Proof

This is a quote I love from Baby Proof, a book I haven't read yet:

"Have you noticed how couples discuss the merits of having children early versus late? [...] And the main feature of each scenario is freedom? The freedom that either comes early in life or late in life? [...] If the best part of having kids early is getting it over with, and the best part about having kids late is putting off the drudgery, doesn't it follow that not having kids at all is the best of both world?" (Giffin, 2006)

Amen.

Crazy Visas

A surprise vacation cost was suddenly added to our travel budget. I knew we needed visas for most countries we are going to visit. However, I had no idea how expensive visa fees were.

-Visa cost for Laos ($42*2), Vietnam ($79*2), and Cambodia ($23*2)

-Given that personal checks are not accepted, we need a money order for each application (+ $28).

-We also need to FedEx our applications and include a pre-paid FedEx return envelop ($160).

-In addition, we need about a million passport pictures ($88) for each application.

Total: $564

That’s right. Five hundreds and sixty-four dollars! *gasp*.

Soon Boarding Flight to Phuket, Thailand

We finally finalized our Southeast Asia plans. Before our tour starts, we're going to Phuket for a couple of days. Look at the dreamy resort we booked!




Four days in heaven!

Now Boarding Flight to Washington, D.C.

From one capital to another, ah.

We had a blast in Washington, DC this past weekend. It was HOT. 100 degrees Fahrenheit hot! We spent the majority of our time sightseeing Capitol Hill and its surrounding. I was amazed by the grandness of the area and the ressemblance it bares to Ancient Rome. And well, we all know what happened to the Roman Empire, don’t we?

This is the backyard of the White House. If you stand too long in front of the White House, you'll start noticing security guards appearing all around you. Compared to the front, there is little security in the back.

This building is right by the White House. This where the overflow of White House employees work.

World War II Monument. "AMERICANS CAME TO LIBERATE, NOT TO CONQUER, TO RESTORE FREEDOM AND TO END TYRANNY".
Conquering or liberating... It's a matter of perspective, isn't it? Arguably, not for WWII. However, this motto has been used in other context.



Not to be mistaken for the Parthenon: The Lincoln Memorial.



Me, hot and sweaty, in front of the Capitol.



The Capitol

Capitol Hill

We dined at two fabulous restaurants: Bistrot Le Pic and D.C. Coast. Bistrot Le Pic (it's bistro by the way. Maybe I should have said something!) is located in "Georgetown", a trendy neighbourhood. Parts of it reminded me of Cambridge, near Boston. D.C. Coast is popular among politicians. Unfortunately, most of them are still on vacation so we didn't meet anyone famous. It's located by the White House.

For whatever reason, there is a strong French influence in Washington, DC...right down to their attitude (not a good thing!). Although I did encounter one friendly cockroach on the sidewalk, it is a fairly clean and safe city. The metro system rocks. Overall, I enjoyed my stay much more than expected.