http://www.travelturtles.com A travel blog with a conscience Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:41:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There is something about beaches that I cannot get enough of.  Perhaps it's the water, or the breeze. The smell of saltwater, the freedom it represents. The meditation with nature. Untied to anything. Free to roam for as far as you like. Freedom from constraints. The connection with foreign places. ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/something-about-beaches-pt-1 With all the negative press about Malaysia especially stories about extreme Islamists activities, the high price of alcohol and political turmoil, it's hardly surprising that tourists numbers have dived since last year. To be fair however, this is a great place for good and reasonably-priced food at all hours of ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/we-will-survive Now, you will wonder why a military coup comes under a travel blog. Simple reason is that while I was stopping over in Bangkok in Sept 2006, the ouster of then PM Thaksin Shinawatra took place. Lest it be said that I am trivialising a serious political upheaveal in Thailand, ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/billionaire-get-out Widely regarded as the capital of tubing in the world, Vang Vieng is one of a kind of place in the world. So are many sights in Laos, that enigmatic country that I haven't had enough of even after 2 visits. Tubing, for the uninitiated, is simply getting yourself into ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/happy-tubing-in-vang-vieng-laos Everything is big in Bangkok especially when it comes to retail/wholesale of goods/food. One of the sights not to be missed is THE Chatuchak market in Bangkok.  Widely believed to be the world's biggest market with an estimated 15000 plus stalls set in 14 hectares of land, the weekend market ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/chatuchak-buskers-a-class-of-their-own Most people probaby assume that thankas are made in Tibet since Tibet is famous for its thankas. In fact, most thankas are made in Nepal, where it's cheaper. I have had the privilege of visiting a thanka school in Nepal. The above 2 are bought while there. I no longer ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/visiting-a-thanka-painting-school-in-kathmandu-nepal Ever tried Masala milk? I just did the other day. Not too bad. As the sign says, it's made up of hazel nuts, raisins, cardamon, dry ginger, herbal nuts (whatever these are), saffron and one more ingredient cooked with milk. The chef boils the ingredients in cow's milk for about 20 ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/madras-masala-milk-from-little-india-klang 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 ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/white-water-rafting-in-bali 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 ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/bungy-jumping-in-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 ... http://www.travelturtles.com/asia/orbing-somewhere-in-lake-titiwangsa