By the time I got on the plane to Hanoi, I was pretty worn out, and this may have helped calm my initial nerves about traveling. I'm not sure why I suddenly got nervous about this trip, but about 2 days ago, I was feeling pretty scared! Anyway, I got through immigration no problems, collected my bag intact, got money out of an ATM and a local SIM before locating a taxi and heading out of the airport.
By this time I had a cracking headache, overtired and probably dehydrated. It took about an hour to get to the Old Quarter through traffic. The taxi driver was excellent; insistent enough to weave through the buses, mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles, but not so much that you thought you were going to die. It was interesting traveling through the outskirts into the city, and probably the most amusing thing was seeing a small herd of cattle being moved along the busy highway in the opposite direction.
Our hotel - Hong Ngoc 3 on Hang Bac Street in the Old Quarter seems very good. It is locally owned, clean and rooms are quite big. I am sharing a room with a girl from Brazil, who happens to be studying english on the Gold Coast. In fact most of our group of 12 are Australian, with a few Brits thrown in for good measure. So far everyone seems really friendly. Our leader, Bon, is enthusiastic and doesnt come across as a scripted guide.
I haven't seen much of the place yet, as I just wasn't in a state to face the busy streets when I arrived and crashed into bed. After an hour's rest and a shower though, we headed around the corner for a delicious meal at the Handspan Restaurant. I had the grilled fish where you roll them up in rice paper yourself. We had a shot of the local rice wine to finish - they call it "fire water". It seemed extremely pure, and didn't have a nasty after taste. I assume it's an excellent way to prevent an stomach bug!
Tomorrow we have an early start for an overnight trip to Halong Bay. I was inspired by Romain's photos of his visit earlier this year, and I'm looking forward to kayaking and swimming in the South China Sea.
Friday, 21 October 2011
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Transiting in KL.
Yesterday I began my journey around SE Asia. I flew overnight from Brisbane to KL, and am now waiting for my flight to Hanoi, where I am joining an Intrepid tour through Vietnam and Cambodia, ending in Bangkok.
Flew with Malaysia Airlines for the first time and had a nice new plane. the seats reclined quite well, and I was able to get about 4 hrs of rough sleep, better than nothing. the "supper" was interesting - a chicken roll, which was like a bland sausage roll. Breakfast was better, I had the Malaysian breaksfast, which was shrimps, rice and half a boiled egg. someone took off their shoes early in the flight, you could smell their feet, ugh... pretty sure it wasn't me. Sat next to a friendly Chinese/Kiwi man who was going to KL for business.
I am quite nervous about landing in Hanoi. I have my VISA sorted, but didn't organise an airport transfer (it was 70USD, and a taxi is only 15-20USD). I will try and get some Dong out before I leave, and maybe even get a prepaid SIM card. at least I arrive about midday. I'll admit I have done little research on Vietnam, as I was concentrating on getting the rest of my non-tour part of the trip booked. I'm sure I'll be fine, it's just been a while since I've travelled!
My checked bag was only 10.3kg, so it will be interesting what it will weigh when I get towards the end of my trip. I'm not going to fill it up with statues, but if I do buy souvenirs I will try and post them back. Easier said than done?
So far glad I brought a netbook and my headphones, despite bulkiness. Noise-cancellation was key to sleep on the plane.
Right now though, I am wondering if the water fountains in KL airport are safe to drink from?
Flew with Malaysia Airlines for the first time and had a nice new plane. the seats reclined quite well, and I was able to get about 4 hrs of rough sleep, better than nothing. the "supper" was interesting - a chicken roll, which was like a bland sausage roll. Breakfast was better, I had the Malaysian breaksfast, which was shrimps, rice and half a boiled egg. someone took off their shoes early in the flight, you could smell their feet, ugh... pretty sure it wasn't me. Sat next to a friendly Chinese/Kiwi man who was going to KL for business.
I am quite nervous about landing in Hanoi. I have my VISA sorted, but didn't organise an airport transfer (it was 70USD, and a taxi is only 15-20USD). I will try and get some Dong out before I leave, and maybe even get a prepaid SIM card. at least I arrive about midday. I'll admit I have done little research on Vietnam, as I was concentrating on getting the rest of my non-tour part of the trip booked. I'm sure I'll be fine, it's just been a while since I've travelled!
My checked bag was only 10.3kg, so it will be interesting what it will weigh when I get towards the end of my trip. I'm not going to fill it up with statues, but if I do buy souvenirs I will try and post them back. Easier said than done?
So far glad I brought a netbook and my headphones, despite bulkiness. Noise-cancellation was key to sleep on the plane.
Right now though, I am wondering if the water fountains in KL airport are safe to drink from?
Monday, 15 August 2011
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
New and shiny
After almost a year of silence I thought I'd update my blog a bit. I guess you could say I was "inspired" to start writing again by the ramblings of "Australia's youngest mortician" as well as listening to Radio New Zealand's dissection of a sonnet this evening. Somewhere I have a couple of notebooks of poetry I wrote as an angsty teenager. I'll admit it - back then I used to think I was shit-hot at writing. Was a huge fan-girl of John Marsden, I remember religiously lining up for "Young Writers Week" and sitting there in awe listening to him speak. I am hoping years of scientific writing has not killed the creativity. We shall see, we shall see...
Back to the blog, I need a new title. Crossing the Tasman is something I've been doing regularly of late, but as a blog title it has been stale for a while now. When I first started this, I had just moved from Australia to NZ, and was grappling with all sorts of change, and now that I look back, probably coming of age to some degree. So far I think I've gone through two of these transitions, and not surprisingly, they have both been associated with big changes and geographical moves in my life. Right now I don't feel like I'm going through one of those upheavals, although there's this anticipation, that one might be just around the corner, nothing sinister, just enough to keep me on my toes.
Anyway, I think that's enough from me tonight. I might be getting a bit excited in writing the first post of the year!
Back to the blog, I need a new title. Crossing the Tasman is something I've been doing regularly of late, but as a blog title it has been stale for a while now. When I first started this, I had just moved from Australia to NZ, and was grappling with all sorts of change, and now that I look back, probably coming of age to some degree. So far I think I've gone through two of these transitions, and not surprisingly, they have both been associated with big changes and geographical moves in my life. Right now I don't feel like I'm going through one of those upheavals, although there's this anticipation, that one might be just around the corner, nothing sinister, just enough to keep me on my toes.
Anyway, I think that's enough from me tonight. I might be getting a bit excited in writing the first post of the year!
Friday, 31 July 2009
like watching a conversation in sign language
Went to see a South Indian dance production. At first I wasn't that impressed, but I soon became fixated with their hand gestures and eye movements. Very theatrical, and almost like watching a conversation in sign language, each posture and expression had meaning. But at the same time, all so subtle. I can still hear the rhythmic slapping of their feet on the stage accompanied by the rattle of bells around their ankles, and I many of the poses I recognised from ancient art/sculpture I have seen at the museum. Nice to see something you know nothing about and would not normally go to.
Funny, this is only my 3rd blog post since returning from Adelaide. I must have been occupied! :)
Funny, this is only my 3rd blog post since returning from Adelaide. I must have been occupied! :)
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The grey space
Have been listening to Horrorshow - The Grey Space, another release from ElefantTraks (home of the Herd, Urthboy etc). Have to say it's a bit depressive (see Track 7 - Celapram) but I do like the secret track/coda on Note to Self (No. 81)
She wraps (raps) a smile 'round his tired face
and he around hers
and for a moment - they aren't so tired
made me smile :)
She wraps (raps) a smile 'round his tired face
and he around hers
and for a moment - they aren't so tired
made me smile :)
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Adobo!
First post for so long I forgot I had changed my blogger template, whoops. Looks ok, I just didn't recognise my own blog!
There must be thousands posts about how awesome adobo is so I'm not going to dwell on it too much except it is delicious and wish it didn't take so long to cook! I love the way it smells, and how it works its way into every room of the house.
There must be thousands posts about how awesome adobo is so I'm not going to dwell on it too much except it is delicious and wish it didn't take so long to cook! I love the way it smells, and how it works its way into every room of the house.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
last night
Tonight's my last evening in Adelaide for a while. Adelaide's been a sport and put on some fine weather to see me out. Wanted to go for a final swim this arvo but feel guilty about not doing some last minute work, especially with time lost to cleaning and packing.
The leaves are starting to turn here and despite the heat in the day, there is already a bite in the evening air, especially walking home into the southerly. Said goodbye to the guard dogs at the mechanics the other night and it's silly how little things like that can make you melancholy.
There are lots of people and places I will miss here, but I am looking forward to getting back to NZ. Like last December, I'm in transition again. It's always unsettling and makes me feel unproductive. I am looking forward to settling back into NZ and finding my place again.
The leaves are starting to turn here and despite the heat in the day, there is already a bite in the evening air, especially walking home into the southerly. Said goodbye to the guard dogs at the mechanics the other night and it's silly how little things like that can make you melancholy.
There are lots of people and places I will miss here, but I am looking forward to getting back to NZ. Like last December, I'm in transition again. It's always unsettling and makes me feel unproductive. I am looking forward to settling back into NZ and finding my place again.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
...beating like a hammer...
really really like this acoustic version of Metric's Help I'm Alive. I'm gonna miss you JJJ!
Black sand
I am leaning over the sink washing up when I hear it again over the late news:
"...oil spill..."
"...Moreton Island..."
"...wost environmental disaster in Queensland's history..."
I pause and dry my hands and watch as scenes so familiar to me drift across the screen. Tears prick my eyes again and I dare them to spill over.
They don't, this time.
Of course I am angry about the spill. Why my island? Why? It's a rare occasion I don't listen to the rational, marine biologist in me, who would play it down, and explain it was only accident. They didn't mean to ...did they?
I have a vague recollection of hearing about an oil spill when I was child, still living on Moreton Island. (It was probably the Exxon Valdez.) I remember thinking, that I hoped it never happened on my island. And now it has.
I remember seeing for the first time the fine black mineral sand in the Philippines, and thinking how much I preferred the bright white sand back at home. Now the sand is black there too. They say the oil is being covered up by sand drift already, but it still lurks below the surface.
I'm not sure now what upsets me about it exactly. I feel guilty, like one might when you find out your grandmother is gravely ill, and you haven't seen them in a long time. Why didn't I visit more?
I feel like a traitor as well. Here I am, working as a marine biologist, using my training to protect another country's environment.
I feel a bit helpless too. What could I do anyway? Fill plastic bags - oddly a petroleum product - with oily sand? Help rescue sea birds that will probably die anyway?
I think I need to go back there again sometime, touch the sand, climb the trees and feel the water again, and make peace with it.
"...oil spill..."
"...Moreton Island..."
"...wost environmental disaster in Queensland's history..."
I pause and dry my hands and watch as scenes so familiar to me drift across the screen. Tears prick my eyes again and I dare them to spill over.
They don't, this time.
Of course I am angry about the spill. Why my island? Why? It's a rare occasion I don't listen to the rational, marine biologist in me, who would play it down, and explain it was only accident. They didn't mean to ...did they?
I have a vague recollection of hearing about an oil spill when I was child, still living on Moreton Island. (It was probably the Exxon Valdez.) I remember thinking, that I hoped it never happened on my island. And now it has.
I remember seeing for the first time the fine black mineral sand in the Philippines, and thinking how much I preferred the bright white sand back at home. Now the sand is black there too. They say the oil is being covered up by sand drift already, but it still lurks below the surface.
I'm not sure now what upsets me about it exactly. I feel guilty, like one might when you find out your grandmother is gravely ill, and you haven't seen them in a long time. Why didn't I visit more?
I feel like a traitor as well. Here I am, working as a marine biologist, using my training to protect another country's environment.
I feel a bit helpless too. What could I do anyway? Fill plastic bags - oddly a petroleum product - with oily sand? Help rescue sea birds that will probably die anyway?
I think I need to go back there again sometime, touch the sand, climb the trees and feel the water again, and make peace with it.
Monday, 16 March 2009
no sex for ramen
Have been eating surprisingly well, not sure if it is actually a symptom of procrastination or a sign of maturity...? When I was writing up my Honours, I was still living at home, which meant lunches made for me when I had no time, and dinners kept warm in the oven. Looked up on my filing cabinet just now and see that my packet of ramen - normally a staple of mine, even when not busy! - has gone untouched. It could be that it has been buried under a mountain of empty coke cans and beer bottles up until recently - but I'm sure if I'd become hungry enough, I would've dug them out! Today I ate 2 hot X buns for breakfast, bacon/avocado/tomato sandwiches for lunch, more hot X buns for smoko and I have yummy leftover roo bolognese at home for tea - not bad! I must admit there is much repetition in my diet - I have been eating roo mince since Saturday, and will have enough for at least another meal after tonight... But healthier than ramen I guess!
Poor ramen - don't worry, my sweet, I will have you before my time is up here... :D
Poor ramen - don't worry, my sweet, I will have you before my time is up here... :D
Master thesis
...well I wouldn't call myself one just yet! But after much procrastination this weekend, I finally reminded myself on driving master docs in Word again and created my first thesis master, with five - yes five! - COMPLETE sub-documents/slaves, aka chapters....! OMG it's alive, IT'S ALIVE! Muahahahahahahah! :D
Saturday, 14 March 2009
links
yep totally procastinating this Saturday evening. have a massive chocolate craving, but none in the house!! argh. anyway, thanks to some referring links, my SiteMeter is through the roof. Lol. Almost a visitor a day of late! Hehe. that's ok, don't want too many people reading this, otherwise I'll have to start making an effort.
Anyways, thought I'd return the favour and add their addresses to my sidebar... please do visit them!
So many things to blog about but another time... fucking oil spills! RAGE
Anyways, thought I'd return the favour and add their addresses to my sidebar... please do visit them!
So many things to blog about but another time... fucking oil spills! RAGE
Friday, 13 March 2009
Three weeks
It's hard to believe that I've been back here for 10 weeks, and away from NZ for almost 3 months. Crazy. SO much has happened in that time, it feels like I've shed so many skins, and there are still probably a couple more to be sloughed off! Hehe makes me sound quite reptilian, doesn't it.
I am handing up 5/8 chapters - complete - next week, and the whole thing has been a bit exhilarating and terrifying. One because it almost feels like I can finish this, and I occasionally wondered if I really could do it. And two, because I know I still have so much work ahead of me, I don't want to get too excited and take my eye off the prize at the end.
I am getting excited about returning to NZ, even though I know the weather will not be half as nice as it has been here. I am looking forward to getting Harry out of the cattery and finding a cool pad for us to live in the city and kicking tyres while looking for a new car. But again I don't want to get too distracted and lose momentum right before the end.
At this stage I am still aiming to be back before Easter, which is scary because really - that is only 3 weeks away. Need to start thinking of booking flights and packing up my life here, and also my plan of attack when I get back. Realistically, despite all good intentions, I don't look like printing and handing in before I leave, but if I can at least get the writing - and most essentially the thinking - out of the way, the formatting and printing I hope can be done from the other side of the Tasman.
I know I have said it before, but I think by the end of next week it will all start to fall into place. :)
I am handing up 5/8 chapters - complete - next week, and the whole thing has been a bit exhilarating and terrifying. One because it almost feels like I can finish this, and I occasionally wondered if I really could do it. And two, because I know I still have so much work ahead of me, I don't want to get too excited and take my eye off the prize at the end.
I am getting excited about returning to NZ, even though I know the weather will not be half as nice as it has been here. I am looking forward to getting Harry out of the cattery and finding a cool pad for us to live in the city and kicking tyres while looking for a new car. But again I don't want to get too distracted and lose momentum right before the end.
At this stage I am still aiming to be back before Easter, which is scary because really - that is only 3 weeks away. Need to start thinking of booking flights and packing up my life here, and also my plan of attack when I get back. Realistically, despite all good intentions, I don't look like printing and handing in before I leave, but if I can at least get the writing - and most essentially the thinking - out of the way, the formatting and printing I hope can be done from the other side of the Tasman.
I know I have said it before, but I think by the end of next week it will all start to fall into place. :)
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Somewhere in between
Went for the most awesome night dive last Sunday. It was so good - perfect weather, perfect viz, lots of critters. My tempermental dive computer absconded as soon as I hit the bottom, which meant we did not have a timing device (naughty naughty). That and I couldn't equalise past 5m! Slightly annoying but wasn't going to let that stop us though.
Would like to get out again this weekend but we'll see. So much to do, so much to do. Would be cool to help out with removing some Sabella spallanzanii . Preferably exclaimed SAH- BELLAH, with an Italian accent!. Lol. I'm such a nerd. I just want to take some photos of this infamous worm for show & tell back in NZ.... ;)
Got I.M.D. last week, and quite enjoying it. Definitely some snowboarding tracks there. Also found Module while listening on random. Think I must've got it from K before I left. cool to find some awesome musix I didn't know I had.
Yesterday was Hump Day and tomorrow is Fun Friday and I'm somewhere in between!
Would like to get out again this weekend but we'll see. So much to do, so much to do. Would be cool to help out with removing some Sabella spallanzanii . Preferably exclaimed SAH- BELLAH, with an Italian accent!. Lol. I'm such a nerd. I just want to take some photos of this infamous worm for show & tell back in NZ.... ;)
Got I.M.D. last week, and quite enjoying it. Definitely some snowboarding tracks there. Also found Module while listening on random. Think I must've got it from K before I left. cool to find some awesome musix I didn't know I had.
Yesterday was Hump Day and tomorrow is Fun Friday and I'm somewhere in between!
Sunday, 8 February 2009
floods and fires
it's a crazy dichotomy, two states of emergency, one on fire and one in flood. can't help but think that we have really pissed off Mother Earth, Nature, God or whoever your deity of choice is.
driving in the car this morning, it was terrible to hear of the ever-increasing death toll from the fires. discussion ensued as to what is the best thing to do?? been a while since I've lived anywhere which is vulnerable to bushfires. I guess we were discussing the number if people who died in their vehicles. I guess the issue of whether to stay in your house or try and flee was the main thing we were talking about. Many people choose to stay and "defend" their house, but realise too late that not only can they not save it, but may not be able to save themselves. then again, I think the cool change that came through last night and everyone was counting on for relief was actually the Devil in disguise... turning the fire front around and caught people unawares. maybe they didn't have time to evacuate. stories of houses, and trees, literally exploding into flames. sounds so scary.
watching the news and seeing the red cross coordinator, reminded me of the CIMS training we did. I wondered at what point they declared a state of emergency etc... having the assembly points etc, having counsellors on site, food for the volunteers, etc...
weirdly, this made me think of the way I reacted when the GWS swum past the boat a couple of weeks ago. I was unsettled by the way i reacted, the initial panic etc. In the past I have been pretty good at taking control of a situation, but I just felt so helpless. I don't like feeling helpless. I guess I didn't do too bad. I checked the position of the sharkshield, I got the diver recall running. I had a pretty good idea of the position of all the divers. I think when I realised M had untied the mermaid line from us and couldn't start his boat and was drifting off into the distance, and I realised I was left as the next qualified person to drive the boat we were on, it gave me a bit of fright. and I was just annoyed I hadn't familiarised myself with it... and the whole thought process, what if someone surfaced in distress? Could I get the boat to them without running them over (?!). then again I couldn't leave the divers ascending on the anchor, save the life of one only to put the others in danger... it seemed to take an age to think through this. what if what if what if... in the end it was all fine, and the shark didn't come back and noone was hurt, but obviously I was pretty shaken by it. I wasn't expecting to be the one who might have to take charge. I remember driving up the Mountain for a snowboarding trip early last Sept, and passing all these road accidents... two of them we were minutes from being first on the scene. Weirdly was mentally prepared to having to deal with an accident that day, of having to become the "incident controller" for a couple minutes. I guess when I debriefed myself with L, I realised, yeah course I could've driven the boat, used the marine radio, administered first aid and O2, hell I wasn't such a bad candidate to have on the boat afterall. but I guess it just caught me unawares.
phew. what a post. guess I've been stewing on this a while. looking forward to getting underwater again.
driving in the car this morning, it was terrible to hear of the ever-increasing death toll from the fires. discussion ensued as to what is the best thing to do?? been a while since I've lived anywhere which is vulnerable to bushfires. I guess we were discussing the number if people who died in their vehicles. I guess the issue of whether to stay in your house or try and flee was the main thing we were talking about. Many people choose to stay and "defend" their house, but realise too late that not only can they not save it, but may not be able to save themselves. then again, I think the cool change that came through last night and everyone was counting on for relief was actually the Devil in disguise... turning the fire front around and caught people unawares. maybe they didn't have time to evacuate. stories of houses, and trees, literally exploding into flames. sounds so scary.
watching the news and seeing the red cross coordinator, reminded me of the CIMS training we did. I wondered at what point they declared a state of emergency etc... having the assembly points etc, having counsellors on site, food for the volunteers, etc...
weirdly, this made me think of the way I reacted when the GWS swum past the boat a couple of weeks ago. I was unsettled by the way i reacted, the initial panic etc. In the past I have been pretty good at taking control of a situation, but I just felt so helpless. I don't like feeling helpless. I guess I didn't do too bad. I checked the position of the sharkshield, I got the diver recall running. I had a pretty good idea of the position of all the divers. I think when I realised M had untied the mermaid line from us and couldn't start his boat and was drifting off into the distance, and I realised I was left as the next qualified person to drive the boat we were on, it gave me a bit of fright. and I was just annoyed I hadn't familiarised myself with it... and the whole thought process, what if someone surfaced in distress? Could I get the boat to them without running them over (?!). then again I couldn't leave the divers ascending on the anchor, save the life of one only to put the others in danger... it seemed to take an age to think through this. what if what if what if... in the end it was all fine, and the shark didn't come back and noone was hurt, but obviously I was pretty shaken by it. I wasn't expecting to be the one who might have to take charge. I remember driving up the Mountain for a snowboarding trip early last Sept, and passing all these road accidents... two of them we were minutes from being first on the scene. Weirdly was mentally prepared to having to deal with an accident that day, of having to become the "incident controller" for a couple minutes. I guess when I debriefed myself with L, I realised, yeah course I could've driven the boat, used the marine radio, administered first aid and O2, hell I wasn't such a bad candidate to have on the boat afterall. but I guess it just caught me unawares.
phew. what a post. guess I've been stewing on this a while. looking forward to getting underwater again.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
ch-ch-ch-changes
changed my colours last night but I don't like it. looked waaaay better on my screen, but bit too dark and brooding, looking at it now I reckon. been trying to think of a new name as well, but nothing as yet. will keeep thinking on it....
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
traction control
Argh cannot get traction on this chapter... clearly or I would not be here, procastinating. Went to gallery today to try and clear my head, and see the Heysen exhibition before it closes. Wasn't expecting a lot but was really cool actually - definitely awesome in real life. So Australian, could almost smell the eucalypts and dust. I like the stuff he did around Victor Harbour and the oils of the Flinders Ranges are amazing. The droving ones, especially "into the light" made me think of Dad - wish I could give it to him :)
back to finding traction... listening to Big Angry Musix atm to try and channel energy into finishing this and then moving on to something fresh. Bought dinner in tonight, might be here a while.
back to finding traction... listening to Big Angry Musix atm to try and channel energy into finishing this and then moving on to something fresh. Bought dinner in tonight, might be here a while.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
time to pretend
Awesome lyrics. Sometimes I wish I didn't look up the words to songs, but MGMT is cool. Very strange, but cool. Their video clips look like a lot of fun to make too.
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