Laphet thok

Laphet thok
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This is lipetho (my spelling) or "laphet thok". It's Burmese Chinese tea leaf salad. Absolutely delicious. Click here for more information.

Live music at Crocadile Tears

Live music at Crocadile Tears
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Live music here with this Thai dude singing the Cranberries, Eagles, and John Denver. The Thai locals didn't mind getting on stage and singing along with him. There is a style of singing here that comes from the Thai's not being able to fully pronouce the words, so the words are a bit truncated, but it sounds wonderfully island-like in a folksy way.

Lao salad, which is like larb

Lao salad, which is like larb
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Burmese curry noodles

Burmese curry noodles
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This is the closest I could find to laksa noodles while here. Delicious.

Back on my old bike -- license plate 886

Back on my old bike -- license plate 886
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

She's a Honda Wave 100 cc clutchless bike -- and she purrrrrrs.
From Sukhothai, I went back to Mae Sot. I had been here from May through June, then returned in August for two weeks, and now I'm back again for a few days. Ban Thai, my old place, was full, so I checked into Fortune next door. I saw a few suprised faces, especially at Koon's, the local watering hole, where I got hugs all around. It's fun being back.

Duh?!

Duh?!
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Dude on bridge

Dude on bridge
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Standing Buddha

Standing Buddha
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Some of the structures are quite large.

The ruins of Sukhothai

The ruins of Sukhothai
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Sukhothai was the first capital of the first Thai kingdom back in the 13th century. Before the Thai kingdom, this region was part of the Angkor kingdom in Cambodia. Most of the ancient ruins are of Buddhist structures, but some are Hindi (from the Angkor period). I rented a bicycle and toured the area for a few hours.

Monitor lizards mating

Monitor lizards mating
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

The Duddy's wanted to take a longtail boat tour of the klongs, the canals of Bangkok. To be honest, I had not realized there were klong tours to be had. Their Explore(!) tour offered the afternoon tour as an 450 Bht option, but we went to the river and booked a two-hour longtail tour for 300 Bht each. It's actually 1200 Bht for the whole boat for two hours, and the boat fits about thirty people.
On the long cruise, the city disappeared, and it was nice and quiet. It reminded me of the Mekong Delta tour I took in Vietnam. I saw a couple monitor lizards mating in the water.

The Duddy's at a street stand

The Duddy's at a street stand
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This, hours after Mrs. Duddy declared that she would not be eating street food.

Duddy reunion at Poiang House

Duddy reunion at Poiang House
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

I met the Duddy's, Emily's parental units, on a two-week holiday in Thailand. It also happened to be Emily's birthday (she just turned sixteen!) so we went out for a change.

Is that Saddam on the tube?

Is that Saddam on the tube?
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

We went to the Arab area around Soi 3 and found an Iraqi restaurant, aptly named "Iraqi Restaurant". When we entered, the conversation stopped (even from the television), and all heads turned to us.
No, not really. It was fine, and the food was delicious.

Simon and Annabel, back from Cambodia and India and a little whacked out

Simon and Annabel, back from Cambodia and India and a little whacked out
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Simon and Annabel had just picked up their passports from the Myanmar Embassy and came over to the Woraburi. They couldn't believe it when I pulled out proscuitto slices from the fridge.

"V", dude!

"V", dude!
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Dim sum

Dim sum
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Patric is a little freaked out

Patric is a little freaked out
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

We went out for Ktv again on my last week in Taiwan. A lot of people showed up and we celebrated a couple birthdays.

Andy pulls a "Steve-o" thumbs-up"

Andy pulls a "Steve-o" thumbs-up"
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Andy is a big fan of Steve-o from Mtv's "Jackass". Seriously. I gave him a copy of "Jackass: the Movie" and he loves it. It transcends language barriers.

Kenting

Kenting
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

A couple hours south of Kaohsiung is the beach area and national park of Kenting. I headed down there for an afternoon, but didn't do much other than eat lunch, battle fierce winds on the southeastern tip, and sleep in the car.

Restaurant by Chengching lake in Fengshan

Restaurant by Chengching lake in Fengshan
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

An uncle took us out to eat near a lake in Fengshan.

Lantern festival activities

Lantern festival activities
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

The condo association held a ceremony in the lobby celebrating the Lantern festival, the full moon fifteen days after the Chinese (Lunar) New Year. We had some "soup balls", sticky balls made of rice flour with some sweet red beans.

Eating by Chengching Lake

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Eating by Chengching Lake
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Mom, Grandma, and Grand aunt share a laugh

Mom, Grandma, and Grand aunt share a laugh
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Lamb hotpot

Lamb hotpot
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

One the many local eateries within walking distance of my parents' place was this all-you-can-eat lamb hot pot place. It was packed and the food was great. They had other things to eat besides lamb (I don't like lamb).

Writing wishes on a lantern balloon

Writing wishes on a lantern balloon
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Like the candle balloons on Ko Samet, we wrote our new year's wishes on these pink ones and released them in the evening from the rooftop.

Kareoking in Taiwan

Kareoking in Taiwan
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Andy and Wing sing it up at a kareoke bar in Kaohsiung.

Concluding a night of Ktv

Concluding a night of Ktv
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Emily and Wing siddle up to Andy in a Ktv lounge. Kareoke bars are places where you share the stage with other bar patrons. Ktv places rent our private rooms with restrooms, a big tv and comfy sofas for your singing amusement.

Chiang Kai-Shek memorial

Chiang Kai-Shek memorial
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Back in Taipei, this monument holds the Lincoln-esque statue of CKS and a museum in the basement.

Collecting "red envelopes"

Collecting "red envelopes"
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

In Taiwan you collect (and give out) red envelopes containing money. It is a form of good luck. Chinese New Year is like Christmas back home. Here I am displaying the Asian "V" sign proudly.

Chinese New Year's Eve at my parents' new condo

Chinese New Year's Eve at my parents' new condo
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Grandma and me

Grandma and me
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Grandma looks pretty pissed off with me most of the time.

Emily's dinner

Emily's dinner
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Spaghetti bolognaise, fried squid with ali oli (garlic mayonnaise), mozzerella salad, tomato salad, and fried peppers. And no one got sick!

Emily made some food

Emily made some food
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

After all the talk about being a great cook, Emily finally made some food for a bunch of us.

Hot pot for New Year's Eve

Hot pot for New Year's Eve
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Forty-nine days later

Forty-nine days later
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

We were to mourn Grandpa's passing for forty-nine days. This meant reading Buddhist scriptures every few days and being vegetarians. On the forty-ninth day we had another banquet.

Moving in day

Moving in day
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

We moved into my parents' new condo in Kaohsiung. Lots of people came to visit.

New Year's Eve dinner

New Year's Eve dinner
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

We had dinner in Fengshan with some other relatives.

Chinese New Year decorations

Chinese New Year decorations
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Red decorations were on sale all over Taiwan, sort of like seeing Christmas holiday items in December.

Working at the buffet

Working at the buffet
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Returning from Ko Samet, it was tough finding a good place to stay in Bangkok as it was the holiday season back in Europe and the States. Sawadee Khaosan Inn was okay, but the buffet breakfast sucked, especially the chef cooking the eggs. (Just kidding!)

Taiwanese-Japanese nouveau cuisine

Taiwanese-Japanese nouveau cuisine
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

My grand-aunt took us out to eat at this new place in Kaohsiung. It was a 10-course meal of nouveau cuisine. Check out the flickr website to see the courses.

Night market clothes

Night market clothes
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This night market is only a couple blocks from my parents' new condo. The food and clothes are cheap here. You know how there are "99 cent" stores in the states? They have a stall that has everything for "$10" in Taiwan dollars, which comes out to be 33 cents.

Hip hop Harry

Hip hop Harry
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This is Hank's family dog, who has more clothes than I do. He wears clothes so often that when he isn't, I feel a bit awkward looking at him naked.

Mom and Grandma

Mom and Grandma
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Homecooked dinner with some relatives

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Homecooked dinner with some relatives
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

The homecooked meals in Taiwan are actually better than the food in restaurants. This is not to say that the restaurant food sucks, but that the homecooked meals are so much better. My grand-aunt cooked up a bunch of seafood.

Restaurant designed to look like the old days

Restaurant designed to look like the old days
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This was a wierd restaurant near the train station in Fenghan. The interior was decorated to look like the 1940's.

Midnight meal in Kaohsiung

Midnight meal in Kaohsiung
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This is a photo from December. We went out to meet Patric and his friends at a hot pot place in Kaohsiung that their friend "Spider" opened. Even on a weeknight, this place was packed at midnight.

I'm back!

My last month in Taiwan went by like a flash. I was in Taipei for a few days, before heading down to Fengshan, a suburb of Kaohsiung, in the south. Aside from visiting Lukang and Kenting again, I didn't leave Kaohsiung. I helped my mom move into her new condo in Kaohsiung and buy a car, and my dad arrived just in time for the Chinese New Year's Eve festivities (lots of eating). I relaxed and did little touristing, which was quite nice after over a year on the road. Before I knew it, my thirty days were up (that's all that's allowed when you arrive without a visa), and I had to fly back to Thailand. I optimistically left all of my cold-weather clothing in Taiwan.
I've been in Bangkok for the past three nights, staying at the Woraburi Hotel and Resort in the Sukhumvit area again. I love it here. The first day I met up with Simon and Annabel from my overland trip across Tibet and Kathmandu. We had a picnic in our room (proscuitto and Camembert!) and enjoyed the rooftop pool. It seemed like we had just enjoyed each others company just last week! They had spent five weeks in total visiting the south of India before heading to Cambodia for a few weeks. They left for Myanmar yesterday. Their six month travels will be ending mid-March when they fly back to the UK from Bangkok. Time flies when you're on the road. I met up with Emily's parents from the UK yesterday. They have arrived for a two-week packaged "adventure holiday" in Thailand through Explore. They're headed up to northern Thailand for some hill-tribe trekking before returning down to Bangkok and then to Ko Samet for a couple days. Today we took a ride on a super long long-tail boat through the Klong Bangkok Noi, one of the canals on the western side of the Chao Praya river, the river beside which Bangkok resides. It was great seeing a part of Bangkok that I never knew existed. After a few minutes, I felt like I was ride through the Mekong Delta again -- no high rises anywhere. Last night, when showing Emily's parents Khao San Road, I bumped into another familar face -- Stu, the intrepid Brit that I met in Xi'an, China, and who was huddled next to me in the trunk of the bus as we snuck into Tibet. He had just returned to Thailand earlier in the week after visiting India. I had last seen him in Varanasi the evening I left for Agra. It is certainly a running circuit here in southeast Asia.
Tomorrow I head off to Sukothai, the ancient capital of Thailand. It was only a few hours from Mae Sot, but I never made it there last summer. I will also return to Mae Sot to revist my old haunts before going to Chiang Mai to meet up with Emily's parents again.
It's great being back in Thailand. My passport is getting crowded with entry stamps for this awesome country. But it was certainly relaxing being in Taiwan with my family again. Photos forthcoming...