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Kirsti Mathiasen
Kirsti Mathiasen

Kirsti Mathiasen

Based out of BC and WA. Exploring the world. Okumaya devam et
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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Phare, The Cambodian Circus

    28 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After Angkor Wat and a nice refreshing nap Jessica, Kayla and I went to grab some food. We ended up at pretty neat cafe that had great iced coffee and eggs bennies! Yummy. Didn't think I'd find that while here. Afterwards Jessica and I wandered the market for a bit just browsing. Or so we thought until we started buying things.. I ended up with two tank tops and a dress. But I really needed some variety in my wardrobe and a dress because I miss those.

    After deciding we'd bought enough we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to the circus! That was amazing. Totally worth the $20 for the ticket and tuk Tuk ride over. The name of the show we watched was Sokha and it was all about the the history of Cambodia. The story started with an "old" woman who went back in time to relive her past. Starting from happy childhood days going into the Genocide then being reunited with her family then the war and then finally back to modern times. It was pretty cool! The group preforming is again a group of underprivileged youth that were given an opportunity to improve their lives and go to school. The school focusses on arts and most students become artists or performers when they graduate. Pretty neat how many social initiatives there are here. I appreciate that FNEZ brings us to places like this and they support sustainable travel. Wonder if they'll ever expand into Nepal ;) The show was filled with pretty impressive acrobatics and took place in a round tent with wooden benches. Our seats were pretty decent! I really enjoyed it, more than the cirque shows I've seen.

    After the show was finished the group went to a nearby bar called the Mad Monkey. The floor was covered in sand! It's in a hostel that's known for it's partying so I'm glad that we're not actually staying there. It's nice to have a quiet place to go home to. Also at this bar they had a beer pong table and people were playing flip cup. Our group started a game of truth or dare which was pretty fun! Watching folk to sand angels, lick strangers, and take random hats off people's heads was a hoot. When this bar closed we went to a different bar, Yolo, which was close to Pub Street. It was cool, some people painted their faces in glow paint and the toilet was a shack across the street. Then we migrated to Pub Street proper and went back to the Angkor What Bar and we're drinking in the street again. At some point I found Toni and she showed me a great street cart where we got some fried noodles with an egg. So amazing. And I showed someone how to use chopsticks lol.. They'll need to learn pretty quick if they want to continue travelling in Asia haha. I don't even know what time Jessica and I eventually made it home but I don't think it was too late!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Wat Sunrise

    28 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I got up at the ungodly hour of 4:30am today... I wasn't planning on going with the group to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat but when Kayla's alarm went off and I heard she was sick so wasn't going I decided I would go in her place. It was pretty cool I guess! But kind of overrated if you want my personal opinion. Others in the group would disagree though. We arrived about an hour before sunrise and good thing too. Eric took us to a spot he knows and we got front row seats, by the time the sun actually started coming up there were hundreds of people in our little spot. I'm sure there were thousands of people in the vicinity as a whole it was crazy. The colours were pretty too that's for sure, but my camera saw more colours than my eyes did, hence the underwhelmed feeling even though the pictures turned out great.

    After the sun came up myself and a few of the other girls decided to stay a while longer before heading back to the hotel while the remainder went back via tuk tuk. We went back into Angkor Wat to climb up to the top of the temple! The tip part that had a two hour wait when we were there the other day. This time is was only 20 minutes. The view from the top was pretty great! You could see the jungle, a few other Temples, and the entry walk to this temple. The structure and building a style itself was very similar to the rest of the temple we saw before, nothing too special there. The steps up to the top were incredibly steep! My knee was protesting but I made it. I'd say it was worth the 20 minute wait, but not the 2 hour wait.

    After exploring the top we wandered around a bit longer and saw a few new areas we missed the previous day. Which I'm glad of because I had felt a little shorted on time before. I found my favourite part of the temple, a quiet courtyard with very few people there and a ledge about 2 metres wide and 15 metres above the ground that we sat on and just relaxed for a bit.

    We had intended on exploring a few more Temples while in Angkor but I think we were all just too tires. So after eating a fresh mango from a street vendor we decided to head back instead. At the time I was desperate to get home but also really sad not to have been able to see a few more. My body thanked me though after a long nap. I can't keep running off of no sleep!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Koulen Restaurant and Show

    27 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After the Landmine Museum we went back to the hotel to relax for a while before heading to the Koulen Restaurant which was a buffet and had traditional Cambodian dancers. The buffet itself was ok, there were lots of different Asian foods to try which was cool and lots of soups which I filled up on! Love the soups here, definitely my style.

    The dancing started after most people had finished eating and was pretty cool! There were maybe 6 different songs being danced to, some as solos some with only women, and some with men and women. They wore very fancy, colourful clothing and had headdresses covered in gold and jewels, I imagine they're very heavy! Their movements were very slow and precise for the most part. Each movement was deliberate, their steps and hand movements very thought out. Very different than the quick moving and vibrant dancing of the Nepali, but just as beautiful and graceful.

    After the show finished most of us went back to the hotel. Everyone was exhausted from the night before... I walked back with two girls and we made a quick detour into the night market since it's apparently our last chance to see it before we leave Siem Reap. The night market is quite extensive, far larger than I thought it would be! Most shops Carey the same items of course, ranging from shirts/pants/dresses to shawls to artwork to Souvenirs to jewellery, etc. I saw a painting that I loved and picked it up to add to my collection. For a home i don't yet own lol. But when I do I'll have an interesting mix of artwork for it ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Landmine Museum

    27 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We hopped back into our tuk tuks and took a ride to the Landmine Museum which is slightly out of the city but 1000% worth the time. They're more than just a museum too, they also give disadvantaged kids a home and access to education, a true Cambodian NGO. I think our guide said that there are 18 kids there now? When the centre first opened it was in the city, but in 2006 the police got involved and shut down the program. Canada stepped in and defended the landmine centre to the Cambodian government and the centre was moved and reopened. Canada is apparently the largest benefactor of the landmine relief efforts in Cambodia which I didn't know. And to show their appreciation flag flies at the entrance to the building! Pretty neat :) there are also other major benefactors like American and Australia who have a flag flying outside the centre. To get a flag out there you need to have donated at least $100,000 a year for three years straight.

    Our guide is an American Vietnam War Vet who got involved with the centre a number of years ago and he moved to Cambodia permanently with his wife 8 years ago. He's the reason that the centre is still operational. When the founder, a Cambodian named Aki Ra who dedicates his life to landmine deactivation and disposal, was told by the government he needed to cease his work or get licensed legally to do the work or be arrested, our guide stepped in to help. The founder didn't have the financial resources to obtain the license or proper equipment, he was using plyers and risking his own life everyday to remove Landmines he's found. So our guide funded the legal matters, apparently about $300 USD and started to get more involved. Now he runs the legal side of the centre from obtaining funding to helping with legal matters like the 2006 police incident.

    At the centre itself there are actually no power lines or internet, they run off of solar power. When the centre first opened all of the children they housed were landmine victims, but as time has gone on there have been fewer and fewer victims and most of the children here now are actually polio victims. All the kids go to public school and are given a scholarship for university or trades school. Of the first students the centre ever helped one is in law school, some are barbers, and all are doing well for themselves. Opportunities that they'd never had if not for this place. They likely would have otherwise ended up as beggars, prostitutes, or involved in drugs and gangs.

    So anyway, back to Landmines. They are a part of why the Cambodian population is so young. Survivors suffer from PTSD but aren't able to get help because they won't talk to foreigners and the genocide eliminated all the professional physchatrists.. And there are still a ton of Landmines in the country today. No one really knows how many.. But most of the known fields are marked now. Occasionally, random ones are discovered in rural areas though. There are 4000 people employed to clear Landmines and they're out everyday working... That is intense. I had no idea about that before coming here.. The majority of the funding for this work comes from international governments or individuals. Unfortunately funding has been cut recently by many countries. They're actually putting all efforts on hold right now waiting to see what Trump is going to do.. Because they worry they won't receive funding for a while.. Sad. Especially because part of their program also involves building schools in the rural areas they visit to clear landmines. The positive thing is that only 3 countries are still using Landmines today so hopefully once they're cleared the people can stop worrying...

    There's a complicated history of where all the landmines came from. They are predominately from the Vietnam war, but there are Landmines from all over the world... The museum had all the different types on display, there are so many! Another fun fact I didn't know is that landmines are designed to maim, not to kill. Because taking care of a wounded soldier is expensive and slows down an army.... Vicious.

    This organization now has 3 bomb squads and offers bomb education as well as medical treatment to the villages they visit. Apparently it can take up to 2 years for a bomb squad to get out to a village after a bomb is reported because of finding cuts.. I guess they just mark the location and hope that nothing happens? Terrifying. When the bomb squad does get out there they set up a grid system and clear about 50m a day. They basically go bush wacking in the dense jungle with a bomb and metal detector slowly and carefully... They've had no deaths on their team from bombs going off though which is great!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    War Museum

    27 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today was a very busy day, but also very good! We started out by visiting the War Museum. And took a tuk Tuk to get there! My first ever tuk Tuk ride :) and because we took multiple tuk Tuks we played a game of "tuk tuk tag" which was fun but also slightly terrifying. Terrifying because one girl almost fell out while trying to make another group "it". So we'll have to make sure we're careful ;) The tuk Tuks are fine though, not overly scary since they go so slowly. Though when they turn too sharply it does feel like you're riding on two wheels. But, nothing like driving in a taxi in Kathmandu!

    So anyway, the War Museum was pretty powerful to see. We had a local man who was actually once a child soldier give us a tour of the museum. His entire family was killed during the war and genocide and he still has many pieces of shrapnel and ball bearings in his body. He let us touch them, and they move around. I guess when it gets cold it's quite uncomfortable for him too.. It's intense. He also lost one leg to a landmine and when it exploded a piece of his bone embedded itself in an eye. He was blinded by the explosion and I think he said 6 years later he was taken by the UN to receive a surgery that restored vision to one of his eyes. And yet he's still so happy and energetic. Just happy to be alive I suppose. Oh, and he's only 48. It's tough to realize just how recent this history is for them, that only recently the entire country was in war and turmoil, while we were all enjoying a quiet and peaceful childhood. I think they said it was in 1991 that things started to settle down? He also told us that there are many birth defects due to high uranium levels Fr bombs. And also that there were approximately 2.5 Landmines per person at one time..

    There were so many different types of guns and tanks on display in the museum, as well as photo of victims and other former soldiers. Very powerful. One of the tanks had a bunch of damage from a bomb and they left everything in it that was found with the tank. Including a shoe and a tibia bone from a passenger.. That in particular made things real. To see someone's actual bone in the situation in which it would have been discovered really made it hit home. We are so incredibly lucky to live in a country like Canada where we haven't had any true problems in a long time. Really brings a new meaning to the phrase "first world problems"

    The museum wasn't all that big but was still worth the visit. While I was there I was wishing we could stay a bit longer but the next stop, the landmine Museum, was well worth the time!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Evening Out in Siam Reap

    26 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    After visiting the Temples we returned to the hotel and almost everyone jumped into the pool. It was a much needed respite from the heat! Scorching hot. I drank 3 litres of water while walking around, gotta fight that dehydration.

    Afterwards a few of us went out for dinner at the Red Piano Restaurant on Pub Street. Turns out there wasn't much in the way of Cambodian Food here and I ordered a spicy penne pasta that was not spicy at all. I had to douse it in hot sauce.. I'm starting to think that I developed an even higher tolerance for spice while in Nepal though because there are things here that everyone is calling spicy that I can't even taste the spice in. My measure of this theory will be when I get back to Canada and have a much missed Caesar ;) Because there was a group of about 10 of us we left a tip which is not customary in Cambodia. I think we only left about 5% but the staff were so grateful they looked close to tears, it was a good reminder about how much even a dollar helps people here.

    After dinner we went to the night market and watched an amateur Lady Boys show! While receiving an hour long foot rub for only$6. It was fantastic. The shows were so funny, the ladies really got into it once they realized that there was a large group watching and cheering and genuinely enjoying themselves. They sang, danced, and acted a small skit out as well. So great. I'm sure the pros would be more skilled but I kind of enjoyed watching these folk do it for the pure enjoyment of it, not as a way to make money. Did I mention that it's a free show?

    After the show we walked to nearby Pub Street and had a very fun, very crazy, very alcohol filled evening! There was dancing in the bars of course but also on the streets. There was this local woman too selling bracelets that the group leaders know very well who just decided to dance with us for a good portion of the night. It was good fun :)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Angkor Wat

    26 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    After lunch we went to Angkor Wat, the main attraction. I wish we had seen it first because at that point I was tired and grumpy and didn't really want to be there anymore. I couldn't even tell you why I was grumpy.. I think from all the rushing around we've been doing, I prefer a more relaxed itinerary I think. I hope the rest of the trip isn't going to be this fast paced and busy. I'm sure it won't!

    But anyway, I understand why we went to the other Temples first, because after seeing Angkor Wat the other ones aren't as awe inspiring. Still incredible and worth visiting but not as big or grand. All were equally busy though, which was probably contributing to my grumpiness, I really don't like crowds that leave no room for personal space.

    There are only two gates giving access to the Temple, one at the east and one at the west. The temple is lined up perfectly too which is impressive, we used a compass to check! The east west orientation is partly to do with Chinese Fung Shui (how the heck do you spell that?) and also to do with the sun rising and setting. I guess on June 21 the sun is aligned perfectly with the top of the tower. We entered through the smaller, secondary gate and approached the temple from the back. There was a long walk to the temple and it offered some good views! The temple is definitely massive and showing signs of wear and tear. There are multiple courtyards inside and vast, tall walls. Pretty cool place! I really wanted to stay longer and just sit and soak in the peaceful feeling I was getting from being there. Surprisingly the temple seemed quiet even though there were TONS of tourists there. There were also a few monks scattered throughout doing their thing independent of the tourists wandering around. Was pretty cool :) We didn't wait in the two hour line to climb the steps to go to the upper, most holy portion of the temple though. Speaking of steps, the thing that amazed me the most about Angkor Wat was the incredibly steep stairs! Imagining people climbing those every day is crazy. My knees would not like that one little bit. I also really enjoyed all the little carvings scattered throughout the temple, and the wide variation in colouring of the stone. I know that the lighter coloured stones are more recent and come from restoration work, but the dark greys, blacks, and oranges are pretty cool! Definitely glad to have seen it.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Ta Prohm

    26 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The second temple we visited is best known because Tomb Raider was filmed there. On the way there we learned that all the green spaces in between the various Temples would have been where common folk lived in wooden structures. The main temple is apparently in the shape of a lotus, but I didn't see that personally. To be honest I wasn't really paying too close of attention, just following the quick moving guide and trying not to fall behind too much. This temple is incredibly complicated and I definitely almost got lost a few times.. Too busy taking photos and observing things!

    This temple is less "touched" than the others, it's been allowed to remain a bit overgrown and there are trees and other plants growing out from between rocks where you wouldn't even think they could survive. It's a pretty neat temple! Definitely my favourite of the three we saw today, but of course my favourite places always seem to be ones that don't photograph all that well. Places you have to see for yourself I guess ;) I just can only imagine what these Temples must have looked like back in the day when they were still covered with gold and gems. One room we saw had a bunch of holes in the walls that apparently would have once housed gems like sapphires. The light in there would have been incredible! I wonder if anyone has ever done a virtual reconstruction. I'd love to see it.

    We stopped for lunch after this temple at a nearby restaurant and I tried a traditional Cambodian dish of Beef Lok Lak which was amazing. It was beef cooked with green peppers and onions in a semi sweet sauce, then you mixed into it a spicy, sour black pepper sauce and ate with rice. So delicious! One of the best things I've eaten to be honest. I hear that Cambodia is famous for it's black pepper, I'll probably have to bring some home. I also had a fresh lime juice for lunch that was pleasantly sour ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Bayon

    26 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We left first thing in the morning to explore 3 of the Temples at Angkor Wat! We had a local guide for the entire day and two private vans to take us around.

    On the ride over our guide, Potha (spelling?), explained a bit of the history of Cambodia to us. Recently, 8 million people were killed in genocide, and for comparison, there are currently 23 million people living in Cambodia. Our guide himself lost 4 of his family members because they were doctors. The genocide focused on killing all educated people. Presumably so that the population would be easier to control and there would be more labourers to grow food for China. Apparently there's a good movie to watch to learn more called "First they Killed my Father" in partnership with Angeina Jolie. She apparently has a soft spot for Cambodia, and we'll be visiting the temple that tomb raider was filmed in. We also learned that all of these Temples were once covered in gold and jewels but were raided when Thailand defeated Cambodia in a war. The first documentation of the Temples of Angkor Wat were photographs by a French man in 1920.

    We stopped before entering the grounds to obtain our passes which are good for three days. They took our photos and we were good to continue on! The Temples are surrounded by a huge moat and even though the water looked quite disgusting there were children swimming in the water.

    So, the first temple we visited was called Bayon which means magic because of all the faces carved into the towers on the temple. There are four faces which face NSEW and stand for love, compassion, sympathy, and neutrality; the four faces of a good person.

    The temple was big and filled with very steep steps, narrow corridors, and lots of space for praying. Restoration efforts haven't been completed yet and there are still piles of rocks lying around, but the effect is impressive nonetheless. Some of the carved faces have been defaced as the Temple was originally Buddhist, but at one point in history an evil king tried to change all the carvings to represent the Hindu religion. So third eye has been added in many places. All the carvings were done after the stones were placed for construction and you can see in some stones holes that were drilled so that workers could insert sticks into the stones to ease in transportation. The quarry is 55 km away and of course during that time everything would have been walked over on the backs of labourers.. Or floated down the river for a short while. A person would have dedicated their entire life to building one of these Temples.

    For those of you who maybe don't know, Angkor is a "city" filled with Temples, and there is a specific temple in the complex called Angkor Wat, the famous one that some consider a wonder of the world. That was the third temple that we visited.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Transfer to Siem Reap

    25 Şubat 2017, Kamboçya ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we left at 9am to catch a bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia. If my lovely roommate, Jessica, hadn't worken me I would have missed it. I had forgotten to set an alarm! I probably fell asleep with my phone in my hand.. I felt surprisingly good today though :)

    The drive to the Cambodian border took about 4 or 5 hours and we stopped to use the washroom and for lunch. We ate chicken with rice and I had an iced coffee which was lovely. I slept for most of the bus ride, still exhausted from now 3 nights of very little sleep.

    The border crossing was crazy! It seemed so informal to me and had I been alone I'm sure that I would have messed something up somehow. First you leave Thailand, then walk a few hundred metres to the Cambodian Visa office to obtain your visa. The walk wasn't direct though, it was through a little town and didn't have much signage. Makes me wonder how they truly monitor who's entering the country. Anyway, after obtaining our visas we walked to the "entry point" which was just a small office along side a street as you walked into the country.. All very confusing. But of course, the group leaders knew exactly what to do so it went smoothly.

    After officially entering the country we waited at a little shop for a transfer bus to take us to the bigger bus we'd complete our trip in. We all had a beer here! And the bus arrived sooner than expected so we brought them onto the bus with us... All totally normal apparently, the driver didn't even blink. Our laws are so strict at home it's ridiculous.Once onto the big bus we were far more comfortable and the ride went quickly. It feels strange to be driving on the right side of the road again... Toni and Eric delivered their formal welcome speech and ran over a few important things with us. It reminded me of being in school again.. But totally necessary I know, and I don't feel like the rest of the trip will be so formal. They just asked about respect, not to give to child beggars, quality of life is different here, don't expect comforts of home, etc etc. What I found particularly interesting is that the primary currency is USD. And the secondary the Riel. And even more confusing, it that the USD is predominate, but you will receive any change less than a dollar in Riels. So no coins at all. Which will be fun to figure out haha. 1000 Riel is approximately $0.25 USD

    When we arrived at the hotel, Popular Guesthouse, I had so many notifications on my phone it took me almost an hour to go through them all.... Mostly birthday wishes! And that left me a short time to socialize before heading down to the restauarant to meet the group for a "family dinner" and get to know one another a bit better.

    After dinner, most people went to bed as they were exhausted form last nights activities and travelling all day, and probably jet lagged too. Glad I don't have to worry about that one!

    So even though I was exhausted, my new roommate Kayla and I walked the 5 minutes to pub street. We stopped at the Temple Bar because it looked pretty fun and shared two $4 pitchers! The rooftop had a live band, a fountain, and all bean bag chairs. It was pretty great. It was nice to just relax and listen to music from home sung by great voices. When we decided to leave at about 11pm the club downstairs was going strong. I'm sure that we'll be back! When we're not exhausted and have a big day tomorrow exploring the Temples at Angkor Wat!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Goodbye Singapore, Hello Bangkok

    24 Şubat 2017, Tayland ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Morning came way too fast today... Somehow I manged to get out of bed, shower, pack, eat, and checkout all on time. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day though!

    I made it to the airport easily and had a relatively short wait. While I waited I called mom and dad and they also sang me happy birthday :) that was sweet! I have to comment that I saw the strangest way to queue for a toilet today..... Instead of forming one long line and using whichever stall became available next, women were lining up outside of individual stalls... I don't know why that struck me as so strange but I don't like it! How do I know who's going to take the longest?! Or be the quickest?! Anyway, just a fun fact.

    We landed in Bangkok on time after a very turbulent flight. That was annoying and made me a bit dizzy to be honest.. Maybe something to do with the rain in Singapore? The guy sitting next to me was terrified haha always jumping and grabbing the armrests. I don't think that he's flown all that much? But anyway, we landed without any problems and I was able to quickly and easily find my way out, collect my bags, and get a taxi.

    What I noticed immediately was the chaos of the city, even in the airport, compared to Singapore. Compared to Nepal though it was still fairly structured. There is definitely a lack of personal space here too that I was expecting from Asia but didn't notice in Nepal and Singapore. And it's hot. Very Humid as well. To get a taxi from the airport you line up to take a number from a machine and then walk to the appropriate parking stall. I was so exhausted that I ended up dozing on the almost 30 minute ride to the hotel. I tried really hard to stay awake but it just wasn't working for me.. They drive on the left side of the road here in Thailand too, and don't use turn signals at all. The lane markings are more of a guideline here too I notice, but again, not as bad as Nepal!

    When I arrived at the hotel I checked into my room and organized my things into one bag, putting all my items from my carryon into my backpack. My roommate hadn't arrived yet, but there is a Facebook group for all the members on the tour which someone had posted in saying they were down at the bar. So I fought sleep and went down to meet my first new friend! I should mention that the tour company I'm with is Free and Easy Traveller, just in case anyone is interested. Anyway, this fellows name is Josh and we had a few beers and shared some apples while Chatting and observing other people coming in. At some point the group leaders, Toni and Eric, came by and introduced themselves. We were also eventually joined by more travellers from the group.

    We all went out for dinner to a nearby restaurant and I had a red curry soup thing with rice. It was really great! The prices here are so much more reasonable than in Singapore too. I think that dinner and a couple beers was only the equivalent of about $5. It seems like the group is a good mix of people all from different points in their lives. There are first time travellers, experienced travellers, recent high school graduates, and folk well established in their careers. There are about 20 of us all together, should be a good group to spend the next 25 days with!

    From dinner we walked over to Khao San Road, the party street of Bangkok and apparently the place to be. And, I accidentally let it slip to one person that it was my birthday and he told everyone so I had to go out and celebrate with them :p Khao San Road is crazy! You can drink anywhere on the streets and there are buckets of alcohol you can buy for about $10 that contain a ton of alcohol and just get you right done. It wasn't long before things became a bit fuzzy for me.. But the vibe was pretty neat! Tons of people in the streets from all over the world just partying and having fun. There were folk walking around with fried scorpions to eat and lots of men asking if we wanted to see "ping pong shows" luckily my friends from Brazil told me what they are ahead of time. Basically women on stage doing things with ping pong balls and their intimate parts... Not the vibe I'm feeling! Anyway, the night slipped by and was a ton of fun :) Eventually I couldn't fight the sheer exhaustion anymore and walked back to the hotel. The walk seemed to take forever even though we were only a few blocks away... Must have gotten lost ;)

    A fun fact, as I go through my days I make notes before turning those notes into a fully formed blog post and here's one note that I wrote to myself while drinking on the streets of Bangkok:

    "So much party can't handle"

    Was a good start to the trip, we'll see how the rest goes ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Me Time

    23 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Today was all about me. I was being selfish and just wanted to spend some time alone. Tomorrow I meet up with the tour group and I know I won't have much space for a while, so I politely excused myself from all group activities and did my own thing :)

    I started the day by calling mom and talking to her a bit, I sent her some pictures that I haven't had a chance to upload to my blog yet and she was amazed! I think I've convinced her that Singapore would be a great place for her to visit ;)

    After talking I wandered out to find a post office. Same comments as before, finding places in Singapore can be a challenge! I was wandering around following Google Maps, right at the spot that it said the post office was supposed to be just not seeing it. And there were hardly any people around for me to ask for help... Eventually someone was able to direct me to the post office haha. I had to go underground 2 levels through this sketchy stairwell in the middle of a plaza. Who would have guessed! After the post office I decided to see how far I could walk underground before the "links" between the malls ran out. Quite far apparently, actually I didn't even go the full distance I could have because I saw an exit I wante. to take. I started at the Ocean Colours Financial District building and ended at the Marina Bay Sands building. Maybe 20 minutes of walking?

    In the Marina Bay Sands building I decided, as persuaded by Mom earlier on the phone, that I should spoil myself a bit and get a pedicure. Tomorrow is my birthday afterall and I'll be travelling, not enjoying ;) I also got my eyebrows down because, why not? Then I had a nice lunch, no rush no need to consult anyone, it was nice! Although making a decision was tough because I really wanted a soup and sandwich. I did find a place that met my needs but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping :p you know how some places try to make themselves seem fancy by overdoing their food with fancy items? That's pretty much what this was, but it was good! Because I was in the Marina Bay Sands I had planned on going up to the Skypark to get a 360 view of the city and an original Singapore Sling but sadly I didn't get to. I was going to but then I heard thunder and it looked like it was about to start pouring. So instead I wandered back to the hostel while giving Alanna a virtual tour of the city via a Messenger Video Call ;)

    On the walk home I ran into some folk from the hostel who were heading to eat but I declined joining them and went back to catch up on some writing. Pf course while enjoying another beer :p after a while my friends returned and I stopped writing in order to be social and so goodbye to Nick, the Argentinian living in Vancouver. Maybe we'll cross paths at home! Isabela and I then went to the market again to grab a few more beers. Sounds like there are plans brewing to drink at the hostel tonight. Another Canadian girl, Monika, has friends flying in tonight and has a bottle of vodka to share with us apparently.

    And lots of drinking did occur! I ended up going to bed at 5am with a 7am alarm set :/

    It was interesting night with people jumping around from outside to inside and across the street for food and just random mingling, maybe 8 people at the max? We played some card games and did a lot of talking. One woman staying there tonight is an expat who needed to get away from home for a while. And oh man I will not complain about Vancouver housing prices ever again after talking to her! Currently they pay $4000/month in rent for a one bedroom just outside of the city centre!! In some places rent can get as high as $10,000. Absolute insanity. Although income is of course mich higher as well, her husband earns twice what rent costs, but still. Absurd! I really enjoyed talking with her. It's a different life here clearly... Money flows freely it seems, or if not freely then easily. Most people who live in Singapore aren't locals but expats and there's an entire "wives of expats" community that don't work and just take care of the home and go out drinking with friends etc etc. Crazy. I suppose that the majority of the people who come here for work are highly educated and very intelligent, the best of the best. Very very interesting. Would explain why so many of the locals seems to party a lot and let loose on all evenings of the week.. Work hard play hard right?

    That was evident during the trips we made for food over the course of the evening. We went to McDonalds twice and to a food court type place one. Don't judge haha. Everything is close by so it's not an issue! The first McDonalds trip a very drunk guy was asking everyone if he should break his 18 month vegetarian streak for a McChicken, the second time another drunk was going around smelling everyone trying to see where the flowery smell was coming from (hint, outside lol), and the third time there was a drunk man touching peoples hair! Haha everytime that we go out in the evening we see very intoxicated locals. And we know they're locals because they either mention it or ask why we don't just move to Singapore already. Very interesting.

    Anyway, at midnight all the people around the table sang me happy birthday it was so sweet! And of course I asked the Brazilians to sing in Portuguese because it reminds me of home when the family does the same <3 I guess because of the time change I'll get almost 2 days worth of birthday wishes, that'll be fun ;)    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Walking Around

    22 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After Bugis Street we decided to walk over to the Fountain of Wealth and then to Marina Bay, Youngmin wanted to see it during the day before she leaves tonight. I really enjoyed the walk! I really do just enjoy wandering here and looking at all the different, impressive architecture. Along the way we found an overpass that went through a Marriott hotel (I think) and I loved the building itself! Black stone everywhere, beautiful curving wood mixed with glass for the courtyard ceiling. It's great. I notice that there seems to be a number of buildings that feature black and wood mixed together. Personally my favourite combination! I think it's rather elegant and sleek. Anyway, after nerding out about this building a bit we continued trying to find the Fountain of Wealth. It is so confusing navigating here sometimes! Google Maps doesn't tell you when to use an underpass or overpass or a "link" between two malls - it's pretty neat actually you can pretty well walk the entire downtown area without ever leaving a building because they're mostly all connected somehow. But anyway, eventually we found our way to the Fountain after a ton of walking and stopping for a cheap, and not very good lunch at a food court Thai place.

    The Fountain of Wealth itself was pretty neat! But honestly I was so tired of walking at that point that I don't think I really truly appreciated it. There are some pictures attached, but what I really thought was neat is that the Fountain can be enjoyed from two levels. The upper area is outdoors and there were benches that you could sit at and a nice spray from the water to keep you cool. The lower level is indoors and you see the Fountain from where the water comes up through glass. There were a bunch of restaurants surrounding the Fountain base but none were all that busy. I guess because it was something like 2 or 3 pm at that point.

    After the Fountain we walked to the Marina Bay area one last time. While sitting enjoying the view we both Recieved phone calls at the same time, a good coincidence! My call was from the teachers at the school <3 It was so cute and so nice to see them all! Ganesh organized the call from his account but I spoke with Beda, Bobita, and Mahadev! And waved at the other teachers in the background. Nice to see that some of the things I helped them with are working ;) They told me how much they miss me and it made me feel like I really did have an impact, but also I miss them. I hope that I can continue to talk to them in the future :) They were all curious about the weather and I forgot that I was only wearing a tanktop when I answered. Oops haha. Recall that bare shoulders are not a thing over in Nepal ;) One of them commented that I wasn't wearing enough clothing lol. Oh well. Anyway, I guess I haven't describe the weather much? It's hot. About 30 degrees Celsius and Humid! Constantly sweating and gross. It's been fairly overcast too the last few days, I can only imagine if it were sunny.. Even as it is I think I burned today while walking around. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to suck haha.

    After our respective phone calls, Youngmin and I said goodbye :( She had to return to her hotel to pick up her bag and go to the airport. So I walked back to the hostel and had some time to myself before other people showed up. I wrote a few postcards - the first I've ever written - while drinking a very refreshing beer. Mmmmm. While I was writing a man came up to me telling me that he "saw" me in a dream last night and if I could just spare a few minutes of my time and go with him around the corner where he's meeting some of his students because he's a yoga instructor. I definitely did not go with him. What a strange experience..

    At some point my Brazilian friends returned from their own day's journey and we chatted for a while. We also met two new people staying in our room at the hostel, a guy from Argentina living in Vancouver and a girl from Peru. A lot of South American's this time around! We all decided that we wanted some beers and walked to the market together. We drank the beers at the hostel and the guys went out to the Gardens by the Bay while the girls stayed in and got much more rest than the men did ;) It was a good evening just socializing, playing Uno, and jenga. Much needed after a day filled with walking!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Bugis Round Two

    22 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After Little India, Youngmin and I took the MRT over to Bugis Street and Market. Second visit for me, but totally worth it :) I like those little shops, and I didn't really look around too much when I went with David as we spent more time talking that browsing. I also absolutely love all the fresh juices that they have there and was very happy to get another one. Kind of. I decided I'd try a sour plum flavour and oh boy was it disgusting! It tasted like salt water. Nasty. I threw it out even though I hate to waste food/drinks... But I didn't let that experience stop me and I went back and bought a lime juice instead, that was much much nicer. Haha. Each juice was only $1 so it's not like it was a huge deal or loss... Honestly I wish that I could have tried all the different flavours but that would be require a lot more time as there's no way I could humanly drink that much juice in one day. I think there are maybe 20 different juices? I'm not really sure.

    There actually happened to be some sort of religious event going on at the Chinese Temple while we were here this time. The streets outside the market were packed with people! And there were many more stalls than the last time that I was there. It was clearly a very specific clientèle being targeted, local Chinese. The different booths in the outdoor market were manned by people with microphones advertising their products... Products ranging from juicers, to household plants, to clothes, to dishes and other housewares. Definitely not touristy items which was kind of nice. As we were exploring the market I got the feeling that we were being herded and forced into one direction.. So we quickly turned around and forced our way out of the crowd. They all appeared to be going to the temple for worship of some kind. Each person was carrying burning incense, the scent was a little bit too much for me, but it was interested to see. I tried to ask someone there if this was a special event or not but they didn't really speak English so Youngmin and I moved on.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Little India

    22 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I got moving much quicker this morning than usual, things to do! I had breakfast at the hostel and then left to meet Youngmin at her new hotel. We first stopped by a purse store in a nearby mall as she wanted a new bag. We then wandered over to Little India, which I loved!

    The streets definitely reminded me of Nepal, there were the small little shops selling random things, and it even smelled similar :) I don't think that Youngmin enjoyed the smell all that much but for me it was a familiar thing <3 All the curry spices and foods cooking everywhere. It wasn't as busy as I would have expected but it was still busier than other areas of town. There were lots of shops selling phones and cheap clothing, very reminiscent of Nepal. There was a neat little park too that had trees with the canopy made from umbrellas. I guess that it's supposed to help offer shade in areas that don't have very many trees. Cool idea! There weren't people using the park at the time we were there but it looks like a place that would be quite popular.

    We went into the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple that is on the main street before continuing our journey. The temple was quite ornate and very rich looking, very very different than the ones I had seen in Nepal. There were people in there praying and practicing while tourists wandered amongst them.. I wonder what they think about all the people coming through taking photos, sometimes of the worshippers as well as the building itself. But anyway, I enjoyed the temple and the area of Little India as a whole really made me miss Nepal! It's interesting how there are so man little subcultures in Singapore. It truly is a city filled with diversity.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Gardens by the Bay

    21 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    When Eduardo, Isabela, Marcelle, and I finally reached the Gardens of the Bay we were amazed! I hadn't even heard of these trees before, how I don't know! Because they're beautiful. The photos don't do them justice and neither will any description. Just an incredible place you'll have to take my word on ;) I can say that I'd definitely had liked to stay there a bit longer, and definitely go at night. The lights on the trees are on until 2 am so plenty of time!

    On the way back we took a different route that gave us a view of all the trees, the Singapore Flyer (big wheel that I haven't and don't plan on riding), and the river. So beautiful. I also really liked that the Gardens weren't all that crowded, it was pretty empty. I love that about this city, it's busy but it's not chaotic or overwhelming. Our exit route was over the DragonFly bridge that took us into the Marina Bay Sands, a luxury hotel and shopping center with a casino. There's a canal inside! Very reminiscent of Vegas. There weren't too many people as it was about 1 am at this time, but there were still folk wandering around.

    When we got back to the hostel we all immediately went to bed. Except I couldn't sleep, so I went through my photos and am now sharing the best ones with you! Even at 3 am there were tons of people on our street... And it seems like this area caters to a very specific clientèle. Lots of young, scantily clad women and older business men if you catch my drift. And lots of bars in the area of course. Still a very comfortable place though, even at 3 am alone as a woman! Very nice not to have to worry. Don't worry though mom I still won't be letting my guard down ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Walk to Gardens by the Bay

    21 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    When David and I returned to the hostel he had to leave for the airport. We said our goodbyes and I met the new people staying in the room with me. Three lovely people from Brazil! Eduardo, Isabela, and Marcelle. They were kind enough to wait for me to shower before walking to the Gardens of the Bay to look at the artificial trees. The walk took us quite a while because we stopped to take so many pictures! Singapore is so lovely at night. This post is dedicated entirely to photos of that walk ;)Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Bugis & Arab Street

    21 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After Chatting for a while in the hotel lobby David and I went back out to explore a new part of town.

    First we went to Bugis street an the market there. It was pretty neat! This city is so diverse and the skyline is always changing. I love it. Bugis Street and Market was an area filled with cheaper stores of clothing, souvenirs, and candies. It was crowded and more chaotic than the rest of the city. I liked to see the cheaper prices, but I still didn't buy anything because I dont' have any space in my bag! And because nothing really caught my eye. Sorry to everyone at home, but you aren't getting any souvenirs lol. My favourite part of the marked was buying fresh juice! For $2 I got a cup of freshly squeezed red dragon fruit juice. Tasty :) And spending $2 instead of $1 was splurging ;)

    From there we wandered a few streets over to a building that David had discovered yesterday that he thought I would love. And I did! It was a very impressive building... Looking at it from a distance you'd swear that it was built at least 50 years ago but apparently it's only 14 years old. Which is evident when you start looking at the finer details.. The building looks older because it's completely stone and the style is older, see the pictures of the brown building with this post. But looking close you can see that the stones are caulked with modern techniques, definitely something you wouldn't have seen in an older building ;) But that's just my inner nerd speaking. Anyway, the building was very inspiring, and really made you feel small. I guess that it's an office building, I can't imagine working in a place like that. Another thing I really enjoyed about this particular area was the merging of different Architectural styles. Adjacent to this building was a very modern looking building with the entire outer shell made of hexagonal shapes. But still, somewhere, the buildings work in harmony here in Singapore. Maybe because there is so much mixing of styles that it doesn't look odd to have two completely opposite styles right next to one another.

    From those buildings we wanted to Arab Street which is a small, well, Arab Community. There was a temple and the buildings here are shorter and older. We stopped by a Turkish place for dinner which was pretty good! Started with hummus and pita, I had a mint tea to drink while David had a sour yogurt drink that tasted exactly like Moi (spelling?) that I have come to love from my time in Nepal. For a main I had a roasted eggplant stuffed with chicken and cheese covered in a tomato sauce. Very good! The prices at the restaurants were also a bit more reasonable here than in the area immediately adjacent to the hostel. So that was nice.

    We were in no rush to return and wandered back to the hostel slowly. We had an excellent conversation about life, views on life, and such things. We have very similar personalities I think and discussed how we seem to be mediatiors in a lot of situations among other things. Interesting how travelling introduces you to people so similar to yourself!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Ion Orchard & Orchard Road

    21 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning I made my eggs and managed to get a hold of Alanna, Kayla, and my parents! I talked to them while Youngmin and David went back to Chinatown. David hadn't been yet and Youngmin wanted to see a temple we didn't go into yesterday. I used the time to make my calls home. Sounds like everything is good at home! I'm missing the people but not the place haha. I mean, I'm still coming home at the end of my trip don't worry, but these places now have a special place in my heart!

    When Youngmin and David returned from Chinatown, the three of us ventured out to ION Orchard Shopping Mall and Orchard Street. I guess the high end shopping area of Singapore. And I can see why! The main shopping mall has 55 levels, and the construction of the mall itself is exquisite. Glass everywhere and tons of fancy glazing clip systems, for that reason alone I loved it. Again, didn't care much for the shopping, but we did explore a bit. We went into a whisky shop which was definitely up my alley! But very very very expensive. The most expensive bottle in the shop was $96,000!! Damn. Wonder how long that will be on the shelves for :p A bottle of Belvanie was about $100 more than at home, but was the reserve edition. This shop only carried the best of the best. We also went into an art gallery and all 3 of us enjoyed that I think. Also very expensive and out of our price range but nice to look at nonetheless. I saw some art I really liked by a French painted. A mixed media item that was partially paining and partially cutouts from magazines or something. Very interesting. We also stopped by TWG tea shop and Youngmin bought some teas for home. I have so much tea in my suitcase already that I refrained. Especially because you can't ship it home! I still dont' understand that... Something to do with Canada's regulations.

    When we tired of looking at the shops we wandered outside to the famous Orchard Road. It was pretty cool I suppose but I wasn't overly fussed with it. Just another shopping street if you ask me ;) Nice buildings though! We went into yet another mall to explore and search for some lunch and spent some time listening to a live piano / singing duo. Very nice! They certainly cater to a more sophisticated crowd in this area of the city. We did find a small cafe to eat in and when we finally decided we were ready to return to the hostel it was raining! It was over really quickly but it was a typical tropical storm, intense and fast. There were lots of people just taking cover waiting it out.

    Back at the hostel, Youngmin checked out and went to check into a different hotel. She wanted one night in luxury, I don't blame her! I guess she had a pool and everything there. I'll see her again tomorrow though so it's not goodbye yet :) While she went off, David and I sat in the hostel for a while Chatting. He's in the BIM business so we exchanged work stories and ideas related to our careers. He sent me his Master's Thesis Paper that I'll probably actually read. Sounds very interesting! And will be helpful when it comes to revising our CAD standards at the office. Maybe I'll ask him for more help when I finally get around to my own thesis ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Clarke Quay

    20 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    At about 9:30 or 10:00pm we - Youngmin, Lu, and I - left the hostel in search of food. We went over to Clarke Quay, because as Lu only has one night I thought it was a great place to see! And they're open late so it was a logical decision. And, now that I was actually awake I was able to absorb the beauty of the place! And the ambiance, too bad that my partners weren't in a party mood, because that would be a great place to do it. If I were rich :p

    After wandering for a while looking at various menus and not really seeing anything we were interested in / that was still open we met a local couple... I'm still not entirely sure how that conversation started but I thought I heard him say something - not a clue what - and I turned around to ask him to repeat himself. He was slightly intoxicated so didn't even remember what he had said haha. But, it turned out to be a good thing I stopped to talk to him! Him and his partner took us to a restaurant that was still serving food. A soup house? The most normal thing on the menu was pork ribs in a spicy broth. We also ordered a vegetable dish and some rice noodles to go along with it. Or rather, our new friend ordered for us after confirming that we'd eat it. What a guy! His partner was clearly ready for bed but put on a good front for us ahaha. I will not be forgetting them anytime soon I'm sure :p in fact, I exchanged numbers with them, maybe we'll even meet again. Absolutely hilarious. Anyway, we parted ways around 12:30am and went back to the hostel and straight to bed.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Sentosa Island

    20 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Sentosa Island is beautiful. I had read online that it's not really worth visiting, but I think they're wrong! Maybe the beaches won't be as nice as Thailand, but I was impressed. There's a separate train line dedicated to Sentosa and we got off at the end of the line, at the beaches. It's amazing! So pretty, and quiet. I suppose it's not hot season here, but for us we were very happy to put our feet in the water. I didn't bring a bathing suit with me as I'd heard the water wasn't all that clear this time of year, but it looked just fine to me. Too bad! But, I have Thailand for swimming ;) We walked along the beaches for a while just enjoying the peace and quiet, exploring, and talking. At some point we stopped and grabbed some fresh fruit juice. I tried something called "Badung" that was bright pink and very sweet, and tasted kind of like taro. Was interesting! While exploring the beaches we met a couple from America/Canada that we talked with for a while. The first Canadian I've met on this trip! And he's from Ladner. Small world indeed. Too bad they leave tonight or we likely would have met up for drinks later.

    Anyway, after we tired of walking the beaches, enjoying the views, and exploring the little islands connected by bridges, we hopped onto the train and got off at a different stop, still on Sentosa Island though. This area was still very vast, open, and impressive, but wasn't field with beaches. There was a huge statue of a Merlion that we took photos of and there's also a Universal Studios! We didn't go into the theme park because neither of us was interested, but it made me think of a few people at home that would be interested in it.

    When we finally got too tired to walk anymore we hopped back on the train and returned to the hostel. There I did some laundry - boy is it nice not to have to hand wash things! - and we sat around for a while relaxing. At some point we made friends with a girl from Switzerland, Lu, who's here only for one night on a layover. The three of us decided to adventure to Clarke Quay to find food at the absurd hour of 9:30 pm. That was an adventure to be told in another post ;)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Exploring near the Hostel

    20 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I slept very well last night! The room is nice and cold and the blankets heavy and warm, my favourite :) I ate at the hostel, they offer a free breakfast. Breakfast consisted of toast, cereal, and eggs that you cook yourself on a little cooktop outside on the street. Basic but does the trick! Peanut butter and toast with eggs will keep you going for a while ;)

    I was invited to explore a bit with the others but I wanted to just do things at my own pace for a bit so I declined and just wandered around for a bit. I ended up at Fort Canning Park, near my hostel which is a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. I read somewhere that Singapore is striving to become a "City in a Park" rather than a City with many parks, and they seem to be pretty successful. There are green spaces everywhere, and all the newer buildings have great public spaces at the base! They definitely value creating a dynamic, interactive city that engages people. It's quite refreshing. My first impressions were that Singapore is very similar to Vancouver, and that still holds true but it also has some aspects that remind me of Vegas, and the city seems to cater to entertainment in a way. With all the different sights to see that I'll describe more in later posts.. After the park I somehow ended up in a shopping mall after trying to figure out how to cross the street. I walked on an overpass and was spat out in a mall. So I explored a bit and I found a grocery store! Mission accomplished. I found much more reasonably priced beers, $16 for 6 of the cheapest ones from Thailand, and picked that up as well as a local beer, Tiger, because you always have to try the local beer! I found it funny that in the "ethnic" food aisle were items like Tostitos nacho cheese and chicken broth. Different definitions! Wine and hard alcohol is also ridiculously priced. Holy. $30 for a bottle that might be maximum $10 at home.

    From the supermarket I wandered back to the Hostel and met up with Youngmin. We ventured to Chinatown to eat lunch. Chinatown is neat, it has lots of activity, tons of food, and Chinese decor. It didn't seem quite as big at Vancouver's Chinatown but it was still worth visiting! We ate a place called
    Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle which is apparently fairly well known. And after eating I could tell why! Their BBQ pork was fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had! The chicken was average though. We waited about 30 minutes to get our food, and apparently that's a short wait. It was packed in there so I can't imagine what it looks like when it's really busy. So while waiting we wandered across the street to a department store and just browsed. We also explored the area a bit more, looking at all the souvenir shops and all the different foods. Very interesting! The only things I bought were the exciting objects of toothpaste and a notebook :p

    After eating we wet back to the hostel briefly and then went to another shopping mall briefly before heading to Sentosa Island to spend the rest of the afternoon. The shopping is the same at home, maybe just a bit more expensive! All the same brands, and lots of very expensive brands. And there are malls EVeRYWHERE. A shoppers dream. Not for me! But I was happy to browse a bit :)

    I'll talk about Sentosa in the next post.. This website only allows a maximum of 6 photos per post so I have to split them up!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Arrival & Light Show at Marina Bay

    19 Şubat 2017, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I made it to Singapore! The city is incredibly easy to navigate, I had zero problems finding my way from the airport to the hostel, Quarters Hostel. All signs are in English, I found an ATM at the airport, a nice man exchanged my large bills for smaller ones at the MRT (metro) booth, and I felt at home immediately. The MRT reminds me so much of the skytrain, the cars are actually almost identical and the graphics on the maps are the same. Actually, in a number of ways Singapore reminds me of Vancouver. When I got off the train at my station I was overwhelmed by tall buildings in a modern setting. The diversity of the people is just like home too, lots of locals and tourists mingling, and the ethnic diversity is also like home. I overheard at least 5-6 different languages on the train, and English was one of the most common. I also noticed that I wasn't the tallest person around anymore ;) Also the streets arent' as clean as I expected from what I'd heard. It's still an immaculate city though!

    My first impressions are positive, although in all honesty I'm experiencing some reverse culture shock It's strange to be back in a city with structure, order, rules, and hearing English being spoken everywhere. The lifestyle is clearly more fast paced too, and everyone is always on their phones. Like at home, but different than where I had been previously . I've gotten used to disconnecting, only using my phone occasionally! It's also incredibly hot here. And it's overcast! And Humid. And windy. At least it's not fully sunny, that would be too much for me right now I think.

    I arrived at my hostel at about noon and wasn't able to check in until 3pm. So I left my bag there and went for a wander around town. I stopped by a 711 and noticed an advertisement for a "tourist" SIM card, so naturally I bought one. They were out of the 5 day pass which is all I need so I bought the 10 day pass. $30 ($1 SG is approximately $0.95 CAD) got me a lot! A bunch of text messages and local calls, plus 90 minutes of international calling and 14 Gb of data! Crazy! So excessive. There is Netflix here though so maybe... Kidding! I don't think I'll have the time for watching movies. I also bought a beer at the 711 although it's super expensive! I'm going to need to find a grocery store and buy in bulk, there's a fridge at the hostel ;) I still had time to kill, and hadn't really eaten for 15 hours, so I stopped at McDonalds. I know I know, horrid!! But it was there and it was cheap and familiar and I was able to stay there for a couple hours catching up on my writing which all of you are benefiting from :p Nothing special on the menu there. A lot of countries have their own unique menu item at McDonalds, but not here really. There is a burger offered with an egg on top but otherwise the menu is the same as at home.

    When I eventually wandered back to the hostel I settled in and managed to get a hold of Alanna! We talked for a good amount of time before it became too late for her. I went into my room and showered, met the roommates etc. The two that I connected with the most were Youngmin, a girl from Korea, and David from Finland.

     The three of us went out for a stroll to the Marina Bay where they were having a light show of some kind. The walk took about 20 minutes and we made it just in time to see the beginning. There were so many people there thought that it was hard to see, but it was still quite impressive. There was music that reminded me of Disney, and lights coming from the Marina Bay Tower across the lake/river whatever it is. Where we were in the plaza there were fountains in the river that sprayed vertically and the lights projected onto the water to form images! The images went along with the music and told a story of sorts. I can't remember exactly what song was playing but it was pretty cool!

    After the show we walked back towards the hostel along the water, a street filled with tons of restaurants in older buildings. We stopped at a place called Dallas Restaurant and Bar and had a late dinner. We chose the place because it offered a good deal of $20 for a burger, beer and fries! Best prices we saw along the way. A good meal, reminded me of home! Way too much beef on the burger though I hope I don't pay for that tomorrow... After eating we walked down a few restaurant to a place offering $5 mixed drinks. They were $5 because they maybe had a half ounce of alcohol in them.. So we stayed for one drink and then ordered a bucket of 5 Corona for $35. Still cheaper than other restaurants! We were joined by two others from the hostel here and chatted for a bit. I guess everyone was rather tired so all but myself and one other went to bed. The two of us decided to explore a bit more and wandered over to the Clarke Quay. That is a cool place at night! It's a whole bunch of restaurants and bars that are open late, right on the riverside, and connected by a x shaped, covered area. The canopies are all glass and lit up with vibrant colours. Pretty neat! Too bad I was so tired that I couldn't really absorb it all. I'll be back though I'm sure :) I called it quits after a $14 pint.. Wasn't feeling like spending any more money! I went back to the hostel alone and slept easy. Singapore is a very safe city and I didn't once feel uncomfortable making the walk alone at night! Such a great place.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Goodbye Kathmandu

    18 Şubat 2017, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today was my last day in Kathmandu. It's bittersweet to be leaving... I'm incredibly sad to be leaving all the wonderful people I've met behind, but I do know that I'll see them again one day! So it's only a temporary goodbye. And I am looking forward to seeing some new parts of Asia.

    I spent the morning finalizing my packing and then went to FedEx to ship some things home. So expensive! But less expensive and less of a hassle than paying for an extra checked bags on all my next flights. A big disappointment was that I wasn't able to ship everything I wanted to home.. Couldn't ship the teas or spices that I have with me :/ So now they're in my pack but that means that my half full bag is now completely full and I don't have room for any Souvenirs from the rest of Asia... Maybe I'll try to ship those things home again when I get to Singapore, could be just a FedEx requirement? I don't know. But because today is Saturday they were the only company open and I didn't have an alternative to check out. I also had to leave my sleeping matt behind because to ship that alone would have been $150! No thanks! I can buy a new one for that price. This way someone here can get good use out of it too. Or as Sudarsan said, it'll be waiting for me when I come back lol. I hope they use it :)

    When I was back from shipping my items I continued with the website for a while until the power decided to go out and I didn't have an internet connection anymore. I finished packing and am ready to leave at anytime! I also copied all of Sudarsan's Nepali Music onto my phone so now I have access to that! I'll share it with you all at home, it's definitely grown on me I quite like it :) When the power decided to turn back on I wrapped up the content that I was working on and went to have coffee with Sudarsan and Sarita in the shop one last time.. 7pm came far too quickly and the same taxi driver who took me to FedEx in the morning came to take me to the airport. But again, because I know they're temporary good byes they weren't as sad as they could have been!

    When I got to the airport I exchanged the last of my rupees into US dollars before heading to check in. In the check in line I made a friend! A fellow named Daniel from the UK. We became fast friends and it really helped the time pass by quickly. Especially because our flight was delayed an hour and half.. He's been in Nepal for 3 months and is heading to Perth, Australia to work for a year. A true nomad. We talked about random things in a very easy, natural conversation. It was great. We were even seated next to one another, I suppose because we checked in one after the other. I manged to catch a few hours of sleep on the flight and when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for our 3+ hour layovers Daniel and I continued to visit and had coffee together before splitting up to our different gates. (The airport here is so nice! It's like a massive shopping mall, beautifully designed with a steel structure and wood ceiling, a very drastic change from Kathmandu. I definitely felt like a bit of a slob here even though I was wearing what I considered my nice clothing in Nepal haha) Anyway, Daniel is quite a nice guy, I'm sure we'll be in touch in the future!

    My second flight to Singapore was also delayed.. We ended up departing 20 minutes after we were originally scheduled to arrive. But oh well, not like I'm in a huge rush to be anywhere! I'll write about Singapore in a separate post because technically it's a separate day.. This overnight travel business isn't as bad as I thought it would be!

    I also think it's worth mentioning that the security screening is very different here than at home... There are separate lines for men and women because they physically pat you down in addition to going through the metal detector. Good thing I'm not a super sensitive person else I'd have felt quite violated. Full grabs of the breasts and even between the legs! To all the women! Thankfully by a woman at least... Sheesh. Anyway.. Another interesting observation was that when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Kathmandu a flight attendant went through the cabin twice spraying some sort of disinfectant. Apparently there's a law that requires this to prevent diseases spreading... Makes me wonder what kind of diseases they're worried about. Or do I really want to know?? Oh I love learning about new cultures <3    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Kathmandu

    17 Şubat 2017, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Today was a good day and I feel like I accomplished a lot.

    First thing in the morning I met Ganesh for tea at a shop midway between where we're staying, conveniently only a 5-10 minute walk for each of us. We chatted about various things and I enjoyed watching the city start to wake up. He had to go back to the university to finish something with his Master's program and I went back to the house to eat breakfast and continue working on the website content. It's kind of fun this website business! I'm learning a lot about the different places in Nepal that I didn't get to, and now have a list of places I want to see next time I'm in Nepal. At some point Sudarsan brought me some noodles to eat as I managed to work for a fair number of hours solid without realizing it... I decided it was time for a break and went for a wander. Ended up running into my friend again and we had a snack together, some chick peas and an egg at a random shop in the area. Who knew such a big city could be so small at the same time.. Same as how the world is tiny sometimes I guess! It was a great impromptu meeting and I learned that my birthday in the Nepali calendar is Falgun 13th. Random facts :p

    I made my way back to the house and met Sudarsan in his shop. There I noticed that he had wine for sale! And wine that we know at home, not this whiskey type wine of the village. So I convinced him to share with me and we polished off the bottle. I had to laugh that the name was Napa Valley, like the California Winery. Definitely not the same though. It was a good wine though, on the sweet side, but delicious. We enjoyed it while eating spicy chips so that helped balance out the sweetness a bit. It would seem that here in Nepal they don't have the same categories of wine as we do - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc - it's just a wine. Fine by me! I was happy. While socializing Sudarsan told me of two new project sites that he'd visited today. Project sites in need of help improving the school quality. They require materials and labour.. For one school they need windows and repairs to the structure from the earthquake. The other needs a proper toilet facility. More projects for him to find volunteers for!

    Again we ate a late dinner and then worked late into the evening on the website content. Trying to get everything done before I leave! I know I can always help remotely too, but I prefer to do it now while I'm here. The next portion of my trip is likely to be very very busy...    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Kathmandu

    16 Şubat 2017, Nepal ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    This morning I decided to try and do some packing and rearranging of my stuff in preparation for shipping some things home before I leave Nepal. I was fairly unsuccessful lol. Instead I ended up calling Alanna and we had a great chat! I then ate breakfast and decided to call her back as I heard she'd be at the pub with my brother and our friends. It was great to talk to the all! I gave them a video tour of the house I'm staying in and the neighbourhood (restricted from going to far because I was on wifi) and they were particularly interested in the toilet lol. None of them have ever used, or seen, a squat toilet before. Makes me wish I had taken a photo of the one in Sirubari before I left so they could compare the two! Becuase the one at Sudarsan's home is much more modern, it has a flusher and a sink in the same room. Anywayyyy of course the boys would be interested in toilets :p

    I spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon working on more text and content for the website. The company is called Unleashed Nepal International, and again, I'll share the link when it's ready! It combines sustainable tourism with volunteer work if desired and is a fully customizable program. I've decided that I want to continue to be involved even after I leave Nepal.

    Beda came back to Sudarsan's around 1:30, we all had tea together and then Sarita took me to the Shawl factory! What an incredible place. So many choices it was overwhelming. And so much variation in price and quality.. Definitely different than what was offered in Thamel, and if you ask me, much nicer. I spent entirely too much money on lovely lovely shawls and I'm not going to describe them too much because they're gifts for a few lucky people in my life, but I'll take pictures of them at some point ;) Just think 100% pashmina, made in Nepal by hand, and embroidered with lovely patterns.

    From the Shawl factory we went to a large supermarket nearby just to browse. It was very similar to a Walmart at home! The most memorable part of it may have been crossing the busy Ring Road to get to it... What I said before about getting used to the traffic? Yea I was wrong. Ring Road is crazy. Maybe 6-8 "lanes" of traffic. I say "lanes" because there aren't any lines on the roads - nor stop lights anywhere, traffic police control traffic in busy areas - and one minute a particular stretch of road may be going one direction and the next it switches. To cross you kind of just walk into the chaos and wait for an opening to inch your way forward... Cars come within inches of you and don't think that you have priority because you're a pedestrian. Ha! There are also cows that just randomly walk down the middle of the road. Actually that was one of the funniest things I've seen and wish I had been faster with my camera to capture it! This calf just wandering down the city's busiest road without a care in the world while cars zip around it at top speed. Oh the eccentricity of the city that I'll miss! Nothing you'd see in Canada. In this area of Kathmandu, there are also numerous people cooking over open fires along the side of the road selling items like corn to passerbys. It's intense. But I love it! Oh, and also shops like vehicle repair and electronics repair shops line the sides of the streets in small shacks and it's quite common to see men Welding things between their feet wearing only sandals! Different standards.. .

    Anyway at the supermarket I just browsed and didn't really buy anything. I saw things like "American" Mayonnaise and Ketchup which made me laugh. I did also find two of the drinking cups that I've been looking for! The benefit of the supermarket is that everything is pre set to a fair price and you know that you aren't being ripped off because you're a tourist...

    When we got back to the house I introduced Beda to the Crown Royal and he also really enjoyed it! At this point Sudarsan was working in his shop so Beda and I had one final time to hang out together before he left to go to his sister's house again. He leaves early tomorrow morning at something like 5:30 am to make it in time for a meeting back in Lamjung. It was a good afternoon and I was complimented very nicely, "you must have lots of boys at home who like you because you're smart and funny"

    After Beda left I went down to sit with Sudarsan in his shop. One of his friends came by at some point and we all shared some beers together. Carlsberg, Tuborg, and San Miguel are quite popular here it seems. At some point during this time a girl, an IT student at the local university, came by to talk about the website. She's in charge of getting the domain name and hosting arranged, and wanted to know how much space we needed based off the categories and content we started writing last night. She left and Sudarsan and I continued working late, until about midnight.    Okumaya devam et

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