No pants, no service?

Recently John and I visited some Vietnamese government offices to obtain a police report.  We had to go to the People's Committee to get documents notarized, and the Department of Justice to drop off the documents and fill out an application to get the report.  To our surprise, John wasn't allowed inside either building.  Reason?  He was wearing shorts!  Apparently that isn't allowed.

Fortunately, I could do most of the paperwork myself, but at the very end I ran into a problem... even though I had John's documents, the woman at the desk taking our documents for the police report wouldn't accept John's since he wasn't there.  She gave me a big "NO" and pointed to the desk.  No one spoke English in the office so I pointed outside and made a motion on my leg trying to tell her he was wearing shorts.  Still no.

Plan B... The man at the entrance of the building was in agony trying to decide if he should let John in with his shorts, as I pointed out the window at him in the parking lot and was pleading "I'm sorry! Xin lỗi! Please let him in..."  Luckily, it was almost closing time and he waved John in.  Success!  We got to submit all our docs, and will need to pick them up at a later date.  Next time we'll remember the dress code!

New campus

Before the holiday we moved into the new school campus.  It's huge - although not every facility is finished yet.  Here's an aerial view:

The building to the right of the pool is the gym/cinema facility.  To the left of the pool is the new school, and across the street from that is the existing sister school (English/Vietnamese bilingual).  It looks pretty impressive from this pic!  I've been finding myself getting a lot more exercise walking from my room to the photocopier, recess area, lunch room, main office, etc. as everything is so spread out and there is only one elevator (far from my room).  The old campus had many elevators, therefore elevators = laziness!

One great thing about the new campus is that it's a lot closer to where we live.  Closer = more time to sleep in = laziness!  Oh well, I guess things from each campus balance out...

RIP Flappy Bird

Over the holidays I was looking for a new game for my Iphone.  I searched the top free apps and came across "Flappy Bird" which was the #1 game at the time.  I downloaded it and quickly became frustrated.  It seemed near impossible to play.  You tap your finger repeatedly on the screen to make the Flappy Bird flap its wings and fly through pipes.  Don't hit a pipe though or Flappy Bird will die!  The first bunch of times I played I couldn't even get past the second pipe.  Why do people play this game?  The graphics aren't good and it's ridiculously hard.  I made a mental note to delete the game soon, but somehow found myself coming back to it, determined to succeed.  My high score was 6 for quite a while until one day I cracked 10, then into the 20s, and then the 30s.

Interestingly enough, this game was invented by a Vietnamese guy and it's quite popular here among the students at our school.  I can hear the "ding ding ding" of the Flappy Bird fly through pipes during the halls at recess time.  My students have high scores in the 50s and higher.  Currently I'm sitting at a 39!

Since Flappy Bird became a worldwide phenomenon, you would think that the creator would be thrilled.  In reality it was quite the opposite.  Flappy Bird has been pulled from the App store and is no longer available for download.  The reason?  The creator was concerned that too many people were addicted and he did not want his game to cause problems for people.  Now that it is no longer available, apparently people are trying to sell their phones that have Flappy Bird already installed on them.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I still have Flappy Bird on my phone and can continue to play and drive myself crazy until I bring myself to delete the app!  Flap on, Flappy Bird...

A day in Phang Nga Bay

While in Phuket you can't help but notice the signs advertising day trips to "James Bond Island."  We decided to book a tour and see what it was all about.  Tour operators on Phuket may try to charge full price on the tours, many of which are priced at over $100, but we were advised by other travellers that you can only pay 1/3 of the cost listed on the brochures.  Luckily we dealt with a reasonable agent and she gave me the reasonable price straight up without any haggling.

We were picked up early in the morning and taken to the pier by van, waiting a while before boarding the boat which would take us around Phang Nga Bay.  The boat ride was better than I expected.  I didn't think the scenery would be too spectacular along the way, but it was beautiful.  Limestone rocks, mangrove forests, and clear turquoise water... I never got bored looking at the views while we sailed along!

Phang Nga Bay

The first stop on our trip was to do sea canoeing in caves on islands in the bay.  At first I was a bit skeptical, as we transferred from our big boat onto small sea canoes along with many other tourists - all headed through the same narrow cave opening in the rock.  After a traffic jam in the cave, we emerged on the other side into an amazing lagoon.  We were surrounded by huge rock walls on all sides, with tropical plants growing from the rocks, and mangroves coming out of the water.  It was much better than I expected!  The open space allowed us to get away from the other sea canoes and appreciate the beautiful views.

Emerging from the cave...

Secret lagoon on the other side of the cave

Enjoying the sea canoe!

After our sea canoe experience, we were paddled back to the big boat where we had a delicious lunch of Thai food, and then made our way towards Koh Panyee.  Koh Panyee is a floating fishing village that was established at the end of the 18th century by nomadic fishermen.  It has a high Muslim population, evidenced by the mosque on the island.  It was interesting to see the school on the island, complete with a floating soccer field and play area, although I think the main reason we were taken to this island was in the hopes that we might buy something from the local shop keepers who were lined up waiting for all the tourists!

Koh Panyee

The next stop on our tour was the famous "James Bond Island," also known as Khao Phing Kan to Thai people.  A scene from the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed here, hence the name James Bond Island.  I have never seen the movie before, so I don't think I fully appreciated being there, but it was another beautiful place filled with tons of tourists.  We took our photos and then waited to get back on the boat, elbowing our way through the crowds.

James Bond Island

What it really looked like ...

For the last part of our tour, the boat stopped in a shaded bay with a small private beach.  We had some free time to swim, relax, or do sea canoeing on our own.  John and I took out a sea canoe and paddled around.  The waters in the bay were so calm and no other boat was there.  Luckily we almost had the bay to ourselves, aside from a few other people on our tour who also were paddling or swimming around.

When it was time to leave, one of the guides made a whistling sound to call the sea eagles.  We had eagles swooping down to our boat as we made our way through Phang Nga back to Phuket - pretty cool!  Despite the fact that many of the places we visited on the tour were crowded with tourists, I enjoyed the day and was impressed with the beautiful scenery.

Sea eagles following our boat - goodbye Phang Nga Bay!

Getting sick abroad

Getting sick is bad, but getting sick while you're abroad is worse.  Without the comforts of your own home, familiar doctors, or medical care you can trust, getting sick while in a foreign country can be a scary situation.

A number of incidents pass through my mind as I type this.  Vomiting in a bag on a bus in Phnom Penh surrounded by people but being too sick to care, being attended to by random Thai boat man on board a longtail boat after stepping on a sea urchin in Koh Phi Phi, being the sickest I've ever been in my life in Singapore and trying not to throw up in the passport line to get into Malaysia, almost passing out on the streets of Hoi An after being violently ill all night, that time we thought John had malaria in Laos, having the infamous "Delhi Belly" in India, going to the hospital with Greg's brother in the Czech Republic after he broke his leg, John going to the hospital in Borneo to get pus drained out of his arm after a wound became infected...

Over our last holiday to Cambodia and Thailand, we were all sick with a stomach bug and Roger ended up needing to go to the hospital in Phuket.  Luckily he ended up being ok, but it was scary to be in a foreign land with no idea where to turn.  Fortunately, the medical care that he received there was excellent and probably better than a lot of hospitals in Canada. 

Based on my experience, I can offer the following tips if you find yourself sick overseas:

1.  Take action right away
-  Don't wait until it gets worse!  Seek out a pharmacy or hospital, pop some pills, drink some purified water, sleep it off.  If you don't deal with it right away you may find yourself in far worse condition.

2.  Carry medicine with you
-  Visit a travel clinic before you go abroad to get medicine for illnesses that you may encounter on your trip.  Carrying medicine you can buy over the counter like Tylenol or Gravol is a good idea as it can help you start to feel better sooner.  Gravol can help prevent motion sickness also.

3.  Get health insurance before your trip
-  We are eligible to receive health insurance while overseas, and it has come in handy before.  John got reimbursed for medical care he received in Malaysia and Vietnam after our Borneo trip.  Our friend Will got injured playing baseball in Vietnam and required knee surgery - luckily covered by insurance.  Health insurance will give you peace of mind and save you money!

4.  Don't be afraid to ask for help
-  If you don't know where to turn, ask someone.  A local can point you in the direction of a hospital.  Trust that pharmacist on the side of the road in Nepal - they may give you magical pills that can take your stomach cramps away.  No ambulance available in Phuket?  Ask a driver to take you to the nearest hospital in his tuk tuk.  Tell your fellow travel companions that you're sick and need them to help you get something to drink or find a place to rest.  Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it!

Destination: Phuket!

The beauty of travelling in Souteast Asia is that anywhere you need to go is usually a short plane ride away.  After spending several days in Siem Reap, Cambodia we flew to Phuket, the biggest island in Thailand which is on the Andaman coast.

John and I have been to Thailand 6 times now, but it was our first time visiting Phuket.  Thailand is one of my favourite travel destinations because there are so many places to see, and in my opinion, the food is the best in Southeast Asia.  Pad thai, panang curry, green curry, spring rolls, mango sticky rice... repeat!

Getting from Phuket airport to any of the main tourist beaches can be done by taxi, but unlike in other Asian destinations, the taxi drivers have banded together and have monopolized transportation on the island.  There is a list of prices and it's pretty much useless trying to bargain with the drivers since they know the next tourist will just pay full price.  The apparent reason for the high taxi prices is that drivers will likely be returning with an empty cab, so they charge extra one way to make up for this.  Phuket is a big island which actually has a lot of traffic jams, so getting around takes awhile.  A taxi to Patong Beach from the airport was around one hour and cost us 800 Baht, or around $25 (expensive in Asia).  However, this is still much cheaper than back home.  I paid nearly twice the price to get from Pearson Airport to Mississauga for around a 20 minute drive!


Phuket is very touristy.  If you are looking for a quiet, secluded beach to sip a coconut on, this may not be the place for you.  Patong Beach was crowded with beach umbrellas and tourists (mostly Russian, it seemed).  Patong also has the infamous Bangla Road which at night time is full of bar hoppers, lady boys, loud music, and annoying touts trying to shove drink promotions or muy thai boxing fliers in your faces or asking you if you want to watch a "ping pong show."  It's similar to Khao San Road in Bangkok (sensory overload).  I know some people who have been to Phuket and did not enjoy it.  I read warnings online that told me to avoid Phuket since it has been "ruined" by tourists.  Why did I still want to go there then?  Well, places like Phuket which are "overrun with tourists" are usually overrun for a reason.  The reason being - it is a beautiful place!

Despite the rows of beach umbrellas, Patong Beach was beautiful.  White, soft sand and warm, clean, blue waters.  I expected the beach to be much more crazy and Spring-break-ish, but despite all the people it was very quiet - no loud music, fire dancers, or bars on the beach at night.  We enjoyed spending time swimming in the Andaman Sea and relaxing on our beach chairs.

If you ever get tired of relaxing and are looking for adventure - Phuket has it!  Ziplining, scuba diving, tiger petting, elephant riding, etc.  We decided to take it easy in favour of relaxing at the beach, but we did end up taking John's parents on an elephant ride at Kok Chang Safari which was fun!

After Ann and Roger left Phuket to go on their cruise, John and I ended up staying there instead of island hopping.  We moved to Kata Beach, south of Patong, which was also very beautiful and had a more relaxed feel about the town due to the absence of a Bangla Road!  At night time we would see the "lucky balloons" floating up into the sky over the beach - beautiful!  We even made a wish on a lucky balloon ourselves.

In Kata we found a nice hotel set on a hill overlooking the beach.  Despite having to walk up nearly 200 stairs to our bungalow, it was a great place with amazing views and an awesome infinity pool.  We stayed here for a week, it was so relaxing and very difficult to leave!

Temple hopping at Angkor!

Our second full day in Cambodia started before sunrise - 5 am to be exact!  We were picked up by our "tuk tuk" driver in the darkness and then dropped off at Angkor Wat, ready to watch the sun rise along with tons of other tourists!

Unfortunately, somehow my sickness had gotten worse after it seemed like I was cured the previous day... :(  In denial that I was still sick, I got on the tuk tuk and waited for sunrise which seems like forever when you have stomach pain!  I immediately regretted going to Angkor.  Why hadn't I stayed at the hotel?  I had seen Angkor Wat before... been there, done that, got the t-shirt...

When it comes to travel I can be very stubborn.  I didn't want to pass up a day of touring a UNESCO World Heritage site for laying in bed watching Cambodian dramas on TV.  As long as I could walk, I was going!

I spent the first several hours doing minimal walking around the temples - just finding a shady spot to sit and take in the views while John, Roger, and Ann walked around.  At one point I even had a nap, curled up on a rock in a 12th century Khmer temple... I was doing Angkor Wat my own way!

Luckily, after taking some more medicine, I started to feel better in the afternoon and was able to enjoy visiting the temples, including Bayon - our favourite temple, with the huge stone face carvings.

While my second visit to Angkor Wat was not as pleasant as my first, I'm still glad that I went.  The Angkor temples are massive and can only be seen in person to appreciate.  A day pass to Angkor will cost $20 (not including tuk tuk driver).  The best thing about this place is that there are hardly any barriers or signs that say "no entry."  You can climb up the huge temple rocks and explore nearly every place at your own pace, without anyone telling you that you can't.  Angkor is definitely a place that brings out the explorer in you... I can't help feeling a bit like Indiana Jones when I'm there!

Biking around the Cambodian countryside

Just got back from our 2 week holiday to Cambodia and Thailand - there were many ups and several downs, but mostly it was a great trip as usual!

The trip started with a short one-hour flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Friday evening.  John and I were lucky to be travelling with his parents Roger and Ann!  It was our second time in Cambodia, and their first time, so we wanted to show them a good time there.

Unfortunately, things did not start off very well.  I got some kind of stomach bug Friday afternoon before I left Vietnam, and I managed to pass it on to everyone else on the trip... sorry!

Luckily, the next day I was feeling better and we were all well enough to do a 30 km biking tour around the Cambodian countryside.  We booked the tour with a company called Camouflage Adventure.  The guides were friendly and they were happy to show us a different side of Siem Reap.  It didn't take long to pedal outside the city.  Before we knew it, we were surrounded by rice fields!  It was very peaceful riding on the dusty dirt roads early in the morning, with Cambodian wedding music playing from homes as our soundtrack.

Early on in the tour we stopped at a market to see how the locals go about their daily business.  There were definitely some funky smells in there, but I always enjoy going to markets because there is so much to see.

Our guides also brought us to a school where the kids were playing outside for recess.  They seemed a bit shy but enjoyed having their photo taken.

Later on, we visited a lotus farm which was very interesting since we got to watch the process of lotus fiber being harvested.  After scrubbing the lotus stems with steel wool to make them smooth, the stems were cut with a knife.  After twisting and pulling the ends apart, we could see the lotus fiber inside.  It was then smoothed down over a wooden board and rolled into a delicate thread.  At another area, a woman was using a traditional loom to make a scarf out of lotus fiber.  While beautiful, I definitely passed on buying the lotus fiber scarves since they were quite expensive due to the process it takes to acquire it.

Our Cambodian biking tour also included a visit to a temple, a short hike up a mountain, and a quiet stop at an abandoned Angkor temple.  Overall, I would recommend this half-day tour for anyone visiting Siem Reap.  I feel like spending time in the countryside gave me a new appreciation for Cambodia.  It was beautiful!