My Thai friend (Mr Chat) arranged a van from a tour agency to take me around in the western part of Thailand. I went to the Rose Garden in the morning, had my lunch at one of the local coffee shop before heading for the Wat Chedi. My Thai driver is very kind and friendly, on the highway he showed me an arch indicated in Thai which I do not know how to read, asking me if I would like to visit this place. "Temple, Temple" he pointed excitedly, but what temple could that be, a narrow road that leads to only he knows what was in store in the village. Then he said, "Hanuman Temple". "Wa Lau Wey!"(Hokkien version for WOW!)....I have never seen a Hanuman Temple before, despite my second trip to Bangkok, it ... read more

Ancient City (Muang Boran), Samut Prakan, about 33km from Bangkok. Featured 116 replicas of traditional heritage of the present and old ruins of Temples, Palaces, Floating Market, Villages from different states of Thailand, Artcrafts, Artifacts, Buddha Statues, Sala of 80 Yogi, Thailand's Royal Barge and Monuments from various countries; Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma. The Ancient City spanned about 320 hectares of land. The founder is an eccentric Thai millionaire, Mr Lek Viriyaphant (1914-2000). It is amazing to see such great outdoor museum of this size. I should say, this is one of the great wonders ever achieved by one great man with unselfish thought. He did this for Thailand and for tourists who knows about it. It is worthwhile visiting this Ancient City, brought back good memories. Golf carts and bicycles can be hired ... read more

Thaipusam festival is grandly celebrated in the Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia. It is usually celebrated in the Tamil Month of Thai, the end of January or mid February. Thai and Pusam refer to a star at the highest point during the festival. This is the time when Lord Murugan became enlightened and his mother Lord Parvati came to him with the spear Vel to fight the demon Soorapadman. Hindu devotees will walk 14km from Lord Mariamman Temple in Jalan Bandar, together with the chariot. The journey starts in the morning and reaches Batu Caves in the late afternoon. Most Hindus will walk barefooted, carrying a pot of milk or placing the pot of milk on their heads. The repayment for the vow must be fulfilled when one made a vow the year before. They said, if ... read more

Vang Vieng, small riverside town in the Vientienne province, four hours drive by bus, you get to see no high rise buildings, single stories to three stories the most. Most shophouses converted to coffee shops, restaurants, motels, guesthouses, massage parlors, clothes, souvenirs, internet cafes and accessories shops. There are also pillow-filled restaurants known as TV Bars. Hospital is nearby. There are so many to brag about, I give good credit for their natural surroundings, beautiful karst mountains, the Nam Song river and many natural caves to dwell about like the Tham Phou Kham cave(Buddha Cave), Tham Jang Cave(Elephant Cave), Tham Nam Cave (South Cave) and Tham Hoi Cave. We did all in one day. Crazy as we are(John, Jo, Lai Chin and Suit Fong), we were drenched, dirty with minor cuts on our four limbs. Later, ... read more

1545, Vientienne was once known as the administrative city, The Kingdom of Lan Xang (millions of elephants). Believe to be 1000AD. The Siamese colonised and ransacked them in 1828 and the french helped Laos to regain their capital after that. Todate, the population in the city is about 210,000. Population of Laos is 6.5 million. Language spoken: Lao, Thai and French(majority) Some said Vientienne is a sleepy city, some said Laos is a communist country. I said it is a peaceful country. Vientienne is a dragon awaken from his dream. No highrise, rambling collections of villages, modern houses and walk-up apartments, people tend to their own daily activities, no traffic congestions. Vientienne is moving on its own pace. Slow and Steady. They do not have to rush for modernisation. I think this is good. It was ... read more