travelturtles.com

It was one of those moments. A death wish turned out to be one of the most pleasurable and fun activities I have ever had.  It was rather recent in memory (a few years ago) -after two (or three) successive bombings in Bali, the tourists naturally disappeared. In desperation, Air Asia offerred ZERO fares. Free to Bali? Hey, I jumped in.

My rationale is simple: 1. Worst case scenario - I end up bombed to smithereens. Fair enough. It’s my wish to die in an exotic locale especially a beach resort. 2. Cheap. Being cost-conscious is after all the rage during economically challenging times. 3. Fewer people - I can really relax.    4. Since the terrorists target Caucasian tourists in high-density areas (read bars , pubs), I will avoid them and stick around the beach.

For lack of exciting activities, I signed up for white water-rafting.  I have paid homage at all the obligatory sights. Even had foie gras by the paddy field in one of the best French restaurants in Bali (so the guide book tells me). Err… it’s definitely an acquired taste. Unfortunately, at the time, I had yet to acquire that taste and had to regurgitate what I swallowed into the paddy field. My, the resulting rice would have tasted superb - to the right taste buds of course.

I digress. The water-rafting was incredibly fun … No need to be fit, you can be as fat as tomcat. No need even to do any paddling. Your raft-mates and the guide plus gravity will ensure that the raft floats down in a gently dramatic fashion. Just pretend to paddle. Hold the paddle like a pro and smile all the way down because the cameras are clicking away at your awe-inspiring efforts.

Some Japanese girls in the other boats added the excitement quotient by screaming and laughing all the way down. It was climactic towards the end when the boat fell over a precipitous rock of about 8 feet high.  Unforgetable. This is more fun than any other sports I have ever done. Yes, beats the surfing (wave surfing) that I tried at Kuta beach. Surfing is just too much hard work. Forget being the poster boy of fun in Bali - just breeze through the Grade 2/3 rapids amidst lush greenery. Guaranteed to make you feel whole and natural again.

Technorati Tags: Air Asia, Bali, Bali bombing, foie gras, surfing, white water rafting

Standing at the edge of a life in danger of being snuffed out  -

With so much brouhaha abt bungy-jumping, I have gotta to try it. 50 metres over a jungle lagoon not too far from the beach. How romantic. My first thought was that even if I die, the location is ideal - I mean what are the chances that you get to be buried in a holiday resort? Apart from the 2004 tsunami, which I unfortunately was not present, this is a once in a lifetime chance to get a decent, romantic burial by the beach.

With such thoughts calming me, I got into the act. Paid the fees. They used a lift-like contraption to lift me up 50 metres from the lagoon. Before that, they strapped my ankles with cords and paddings that can support 100 of me. Not bad. I felt like Spiderman during the ascent up on the outdoor lift. No problem. I can fly.

Upon reaching the top, my knees felt weak. My nerves failed me and I told the guy next to me “Er,… I think you need to start the lift down.”

“Huh, no way. Just jump. Don’t think. No refund if you don’t jump.”

No refund? Ok, I have lived this long, had some major heartbreaks and other breaks, I guess life up to this stage had been worth it. It was an eventful life - challenging but fought hard to the end, although punctuated with many R & Rs sessions in exotic spaces. Life is to be lived after all, and since play had been a big part of my life, I guess it’s only poetic justice to die while at play.

At least, my body parts don’t get all splatterred up in pieces should I hit the water at breakneck speed. Breakneck? Oh, I forgot, it would be like hitting the brick wall at that speed. Still, the image of my heroic death in a romantic setting was too tempting a thought. So, I plunged.

See that? I did fly!

Heading straight into the water. I glimpsed my past for a split second.

Hang on. Something abruptly stopped me from jumping to my watery grave. Ah, the cord - the cord. A sudden jerk up and down again. Then up again. My stomach felt like it’s somewhere up there. Or was that my heart I left up there? Couldn’t be. I felt my heart pounding at breakneck speed.

It was a safe landing. They pulled me into dry land, a wooden platform by the lagoon edge. It took like 5 seconds for the entire jump.

For surviving my death wish, they awarded me a Certificate of Courage.  I now know why some call it a “Hair-Raising experience”. For some strange reason, my hair was standing, I mean it was in a “raised-up” position after the fall. Despite the strong pull of gravity, my hair refuses to stand down. It was raised the entire time until I washed it.

To date, only a few people have seen the medal, I mean the certificate. Shall I include it in my next job application i.e. “Successfully performed death-defying stunt”

Technorati Tags: bungee jumping, bungy jump, certificate of courage, death wish, Phuket

For those not in the know, orbing is a new ball game. A big ball that swallows 2 persons inside and rolls down a hill with the two humans strapped in. Orbiting on land, if you will. The high - experiencing a stomach-churning, head-turning experience. Your head literally rolls. For RM15, it’s a rather cheap head roll. In case you are wondering, my head was pretty much intact the last time I checked.

Upon torturing myself at this late stage in my life, I was told that this is just a prelude - a piece of small experience for the big things like bungee-jumping and sky-diving. Hah,  done that years ago.  But for reasons best known to myself alone, I have vowed never to go sky-diving.

Since no pix was taken, this is the rare instance when I make use of someone else’s website - click on video to see what orbing is all about. Meanwhile, get ready for my bungee-jumping account next.

http://www.gacadventure.com

Technorati Tags: head roll, Lake Titiwangsa, orb, orbing

Singing patriotic songs ala communist China during the height of the Cultural Revolution. Chinese-style blind allegiance to political leaders appears to have surfaced in Tibet. Note the place - horse-riding dance festival in Gyantse, Tibet.

Parading Beijing-approved child reincarnations at the Gyantse Horse-riding dance festival. Reincarnations of high-ranking lamas are widespread in Tibet. One wonders why it hardly happens elsewhere in the world! Could it be others have not meditated to that level of enlightenment?

Chinese-style huge wall paintings decorate the main seatings for VIPS to the Gyantse’s horse-riding dance festival. Summer of 2005

Technorati Tags: allegiance, Beijing, Gyantse, horse-racing festival, tibet

Beijing should be happy its massive PR campaign in Tibet has reaped great rewards - public allegiances of support at the traditional horse-racing festival in a small town, a few thousand miles from Beijing. Note Deng Xiao Peng’s picture there as well.

Technorati Tags: Beijing, Deng Xiao Peng, Gyantse, horse-racing festival, support, tibet

All manner of celebrations - the Laos just love to get together with family and friends and have a swelling good time - Buddhist festivities, dragon boat race, New Year Day, Valentine’s Day - yes, they celebrate them all. A sampling of how Lao take their religion seriously.

Anytime is a good time to celebrate! Celebration is a way of life. How we need to learn from them.

Technorati Tags: Lao Buddhism, Lao celebrations

Famished girl scavenges for left-over food of poor Cambodian tourists in Sihanouville beach.

His brother comes along to scavenge for whatever else is left.  He only wants cans of drinks to exchange for pittance from the recycling middlemen.

But, then decides to join in the left-over feast his sister is enjoying. “How lucky I am being able to eat such good food by the beach,” he thinks.  For the next 15 minutes, brother and sister had a wonderful time eating the delicious left-overs.  Tomorrow may be the same.

“Who says scavenging is lowly and degrading? It’s rewarding - we get to eat food that our parents never get to eat their whole lifetimes. “

Technorati Tags: leftover food, scavenging, Sihanoukville

Classic post-card perfect scene in a quieter beach along Sihanoukville beach. When will mass tourism spoil this?

Sihanoukville is like an innocent baby - still finding its way in the world, surrounded by its more worldly neighbours like Pattaya and Phuket. Nevertheless, its baby steps will soon become more sure-footed as the lure of gold, glitz and glamour dance into its heart and mind.

Its carefree years are marked by an unself-conscious horseplay attitude. Playing with abandon is the name of the game. Who cares what the world thinks?

For now at least, we eat and drink to our hearts’ content.

We relax and let tomorrow take care of itself.

And we dress what we like to the beach - leather shoes and all.

Technorati Tags: baby steps, carefree, innocent, Sihanouk

Seafood aplenty on Sihanoukville beach. Grilled mini-lobsters, squids, fish, crabs etc. A haven for seafood lovers and all very cheap too! This place is even better than Thai beaches. Fewer people and cheaper stuff. It’s gonna be my next favourite beach destination after Krabi in Thailand.

Thinking of those mini-lobsters makes me salivate … they are really fantastically tasty.  Who says good food can’t be had for a penny..

Technorati Tags: mini lobsters, seafood, Sihanoukville

Yes, this is the world-famous signboard that came out in some Travel shows on satellite tv as well as on numerous travel articles. I tried the happy mango shake as twilight approaches. The scene became surreal… I became a contented fat cat, so relaxed I decided never to work another single day of my life.

Free accommodation? Not really, you have to work at the bar for a few hours a day. And the accommodation is rather spartan - on a shared basis behind the bar.  Still, for those on shoe-string budget, it’s not a bad deal.

The twilight scene on the beach. Comfy, cool and contented without  a care in the world. The great sea food adds to the contentment index.

Technorati Tags: beach life, free accommodation, happy mango shake, happy shack, seafood, Sihanoukville, surreal