big bang , bombs in bangkok

Click on the posttitle for a link to the BBC page.....there were bombs in Bangkok lastnight , a couple hours before we arrived. There was no word of it until this morning, but most of the celebrations around town were cancelled. it sounds not aimed at tourists, but nonehtless I want to avoid KhaoSan even though we're a couple blocks from there now( YM wants to shop)....we popped in for 2 nights ( the Newyears eve scheduled flight from KK was soooooo cheap!) we will be up before dawn tomorrow, back to the new airport , bound for Yangon.
It'll be another great meal at the Shanti lodge( i crave SOmTAM-green papaya salad-), maybe a Thai massage (definitely, a thai massage) and then early to bed , after browsing the guidebook and preparing for landing in Burma. Our legs are so stiff from the climb, stairs are a bit much to deal with; we'll have to hold off on the countless hours of seated Meditation until the pain is gone.
Anyways we are safe and keeping our heads up. Don't worry about our safety.
peace and best wishes to all

sunset is a weeping angel

And here are some fishes from Sipadan and Mabul islands, 3 eels in there, bottom centre is a BIG napoleon wrasse , very lovely...underwater photography is very difficult, iiiiii shot over 50 images per dive, success is getting better, but it's a long learning curve, light is especially tricky...
there is Mount Kinabalu, 4100 m , a good haul, our legs are smarting 2 days later, we never got to see the top like that we were drenched in rain during our stay on the mountain...
and in between downpours, a shot of the flora at 3000m

see some sea stuff

these are all either Nudibranches or Sea worms or slugs, photographed last week around Mabul Island...oops one sea star

sabah pics

anemone clownfish seen by us on Yeonmi's first snorkeling expedition see below...only at 1.5 m deep!
ferns galore including tree ferns, at Mount Kinabalu park
KYM snorkel adventure part 1, Dec 28 2006, Manukan island , 20 min boat ride from KotaKinabalu city, the waters were quite active with fish, good reef, very shallow
lovely tree ferns and gardens at a quiet secluded lodge we happened on , a few minutes walk from the park gates...we had the large place to ourselves for the evening, jut the distant highway and a lot od birdsong in the clouds...

Picture in a frame,

We are not regretdul to be leaving Malaysia. I wanted to give it another try as my first impression a few years ago wasn’t great. It is a fabulous country in many ways, but the tourist experience hasn’t been as good as in other places.
Malaysia is a magnificent melting pot of indigenous people ( over 28 tribes in Borneo alone) with Chinese, Indian and European influence. Three major languages are spoken and although the state religion is Islam, other religions also prosper, and all of the above blend together peacefully.
The three main cultures are reflected in the menu as well, making dining and conversation both flavorful.
Sabah is blessed with fabulous forest, mountain scapes and tropical beaches, but mostly it’s palm plantation from what we saw. The underwater world was great also as the photos attest.
Unfortunately , I won’t be recommending it to anyone, although I won’t deny you from coming , I just had a few bad experiences…like 3 times in a week we waited over an hour for a dish from our meal order that never came, with out apologies. We also had refunds refused, I had a nonchalant, uncaring inattentive dive guide, lousy transportation. In 10 days of travel , I’ve never had to complain indignantly, bicker and plead as much as this before.
Over priced for this part of the world, it’s hard to justify the visit compared to what you get elsewhere. They’re trying to be Singapore, I reckon.
I’m embarrassed to tell that on or about Christmas day ( depending on where on the globe you are situated), we decided to change locations, rose at 6am to catch a bus that was all ready set to go son, and parked in the heat for 2.5 more hours waiting for 2 more passengers that never came. There was no other bus in that town, so we negotiated a deal with 2 other passengers to hire a private car to cross the island. We made good time until at a high pass after a pee stop , the little butt-nugget refused to go up the next hill out of town. So it sounds like your mix is bad or your not firing I told him, he jiggled the ‘new’ plug cables and revved her again, but evidently it was only firing in one or two as it turns out, pistons. I got out pretty fast and started poking around and sure enough, I found myself fixing or trying to fix this guys car on Christmas day, including flagging down other drivers for tools! It was a lost cause, he helped us hitch a ride with some other strangers into town. So, it’s not bad story , it just goes to tell ya that you should ask the driver …what…? I don’t know the moral of the story or what I’m going on a bout…it wasn’t a bad xmas, we gave up the whole xmas thing long before hand….just different…very very, very different..and bloody 35’c!
Anyhow before this blog gets too long, I’ll mention that we had a disaster visit to Mount Kinabalu, which was on my to do list in Asia for about 3 years now. Besides being overly expensive to hike a mountain ( makes me homesick), Kinabalu at 4105m is the tallest peak between Himalayas and NewGuinea…and a strange shape too, the granite thrusts out of the surrounding landscape. Sorry no photos it rained the whole time, but yeonmi might have some pictures on the card of the old Fuji Dica that she took while I was fixing the guy’s car. But sadly the said camera and an iPod were today’s casualties in the endless rain during our ascent and descent.
We did find a fabulous little lodge we had to ourselves, we had to walk a km or more in search of veggies, but the mute or deaf or something caretaker, gave us the keys and showed us the intricacies of the door locks and then buggered off leaving us to the tree ferns, outstanding garden of many blossoms including a lemon tree ( haven’t seen that in eons, if ever: we were to shy to plunder it for risk of damaging all the other blossoms and scaring off the incredible birds. Wow the birds, I have no idea what I saw, but gorgeous colors, and one with a fabulous long tail, thrice the length of it’s body. We rose early and set off to the park and up the hill to the huts at 3300m, didn’t sleep a wink in the noisy hut, set off for the summit under starlight in the thin air at 3am , were clouded in by 5 and rained on hard at the anticipated but denied sunrise. We were the first to turn down the mountain in haste , soaking wet. We had returned to the park HQ by 11 and refused a refund on our booking for the night.
Alas here we are in KK, off to BKK tomorrow night after the famous Sunday market, and I hope a trip to the museums ( I’m prepared for disappointment, don’t worry) nut there is an ethnobotany museum among those so , fingers crossed. By midweek we’ll be in Burma and starting off the new year at a meditation center.
I don’t know for sue but from my guidebook and previous sources, email and computers etc . are dodgy and unavailable in Myanmar so I may be out of reach for a month or so.
I am hoping for a fabulous photos expedition in Myanmar.
Anyways we did have some good times, but a lot of trying times, and so there you have it, plans, dreams , expectations sometimes go awry.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

and I will not remember that I ever felt the pain

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!Sipadan sights

this big horde of bumphead parrotfish was munching away on coral and stuff, but i didnn't go closer as i left my group to see them...see what happens when you trail behind with the camera! They are all 1m or so in length... and here's a munched starfish

the board walk promenade at the hotel we're at, with the local youngsters, it's a romantic public place for a stroll...and sit

eyeScuba

good tidings

The food has been hit and miss, some things are hits like barbequed wings for 1RM each, Satay, Roti, laksa, and some noodle variations. Others have been a bit boring but all are cheap. Mostly the issue lies with the menus and being ignorant to their offerings….we will do our best to seek out the finest dishes, eat with the locals and try everything.

Today, Saturday, was spent in town and across the harbor on BumBun island, visiting a family that Yeonmi befriended yesterday while I was diving. She promised to bring her husband, so after trying to get info and bookings for the next few days at the I-café, we took a little boat over to the island of curious, friendly and very young Sabah people. The patriarch moved to this area 30 years ago from the Philippines, his first language is Sulu.
I asked a few questions, mostly misunderstood , both Questions and answers. They live 11 in the house, and most of the men are militarily employed. Sabah is home to about 30 tribes and almost 100 dialects, but a bit of a barrier with language prevented me from getting more insight to the language and culture, and their history. The island had loads of kids running amok, many families had over 10kids. It was too bloody hot to roam much, so we headed back to town. I did discover a billiard variation, with folks playing on home made 1.5m-squared, 4 pocketed tables, using plastic numbered disks and a larger one as cue ball. Using an old cue stick, and playing cards they had to sink certain disks…very interesting. Pictures to come.
So, the rough plan is to return to KK by bus or air, climb the mountain, dive and enjoy KK and then head to Myanmar after New years day. We had dinner with a smashing kiwi bloke last night who raved about Myanmar so we are quite excited now.
Tomorrow we’ll both go to Mabul island, the half way island to Sipadan, to dive , snorkel and bake in the sun and such. Christmas timing is not great, we’ll make a move that day, but really it’s meaningless here in a muslim country in the tropical heat.
We just had a horrible experience in the hotel attached restaurant ....they welcomed a chorus of 30 folks with 2 electric guitars, bass, that sang a rousing , loud medley of Christmas tunes, complete with kids in santa outfits dancing by hte tree, that was nice but they neglected our meal and we waited 1 hour for a dish, with out any apology..
.so We'll have each other, a couple goodies from home, but there’s not much way to make Xmas white or Christian . BUT, for all of you elsewhere, best wishes of the season, we’re thinking of you. Enjoy!

all things must pass

how does it feel to be inside a wall of jacks? something like this...
the coral gardens at Sipadan, many large fans like this over 1 meter wide...
Our hotel-the Dragon Inn- in the background and the diveboat and captain in front
a lovely little grouper, and anemone clownfish below...the waters around Sipadan are teeming with all varieties of fish, and in large sizes, and numbers. Sharks and turtles are seen on every dive...visibilty is poor but good enough for wall dives.

sense, scuba,sipadan,sabah,semporna,some snaps....

inspecting the catch

soft corals around Sipadan

Andy, Yeonmi, and Yeon-hee( older sister) at the bus stop send off

Green turtles and divemaster

a wall of travelly jacks, there was 3 BIG tuna in the centre of this school

Dec 20^th, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia

The nose: clove cigarettes, humid tropical air with hints of salt, fish and blossoms, bbq satay smoke…

The eyes: deep blue with cumulus, palm and cocoa groves, distant tracts of jungle, rolling hills, Japanese vehicles, brightly colored clothing with hijab, large dark eyes…

The ears: tv’s from both neighbors at the moment, quiet traffic, soft spoken speech, birdsquak,

The tongue: roti channai, seafood, SangSom, sala, rambutan, mango….

And the rest….humid moist blanket of tropical summer sweat, backpack strain…

After a long journey of 4 flights, a way to long stopover in the new Bangkok Savarnabumi airport, we arrived in Semporna, a coastal fishing and plantation outpost, not famous for much except for a couple offshore islands, namely Pulau Sipadan, highly regarded as one of the world’s top 5 destinations. Today , I got to experience it. Yesterday was fatigue.

Let’s get up to speed….we left Incheon after a quiet weekend, of packing, goodbye dinner meals, tidying etc, on Monday evening. We arrived in Kota Kinabalu Tuesday eve, stayed at the recommended guesthouse (delightful helpful staff, roti channai for breaky). We flew the last leg, from KK to Tawau on another overstuffed AirAsia flight (pick your seat, pay for snacks) and got to glimpse the Mount KK which hope to trek next week. The 45 minute (555km) flight was a mere 50$US for two of us.

The town here is nothing to speak of except for it’s old, dirty, tired, friendly and the market is cool but malodorous. Yeonmi is doing her best to keep amused, patient, while I dive, the reason for coming here and my special reward for my hard work of the past year.

Sipadan island is a true offshore isle, a lime spire rising 600m , mushrooming out at the surface from the millennial old coral. It is famous for prolific turtles and sharks, of which I saw loads of today. All reef fish species are well represented and quite large compared to other sites. The isle is strictly protected and regulated, and is home to many police.

So far, so good, we just have to plan the rest. I’m diving again Friday and Saturday…then who knows….The food is not really splendid yet, although cheap. The local people have all been so sweet and welcoming thus far.

More to come….

So this is Christmas,

my Korean Family

Hello readers,
I have found some quiet Sunday morning time to write. The last 2 weeks have been hectic and my to do list has shrunken significantly. Furthermore, it snowed 10cm lastnight and has begun again, setting us with a white Sunday after the mildest fall. In fact ,Thursday as so warm , maybe over 12'C during the day.I have packed most things and only have a couple hours of tinkering and tidying today, a couple errands and dinner with the family.So, I have sometime to catch up on the highlights and get back into blogging mode as Andy And Yeonmi's world tour 2007 kicks off tomorrow.
I am now out of work as the job ended on Friday. Iam sad to say goodbye to all my students, young and old.
The little ones are indifferent, but some are dear to me after a year with them. The adults students showed me great kindness and respect, sharing dinner, gifts and kind words; thank-you all. And we had a staff lunch during the week as one of our administators, our principle liason on the office side, is going to the US, many kind words were spoken as well. My colleagues are a fantastic bunch and I'm so greatful for all their help and joviality.
I've had such an incredible year at the Uni, enjoying my co-workers, and campus life. I taught a hatha yoga class in a nice studio space (rent free) in our building, attended a Korean history and religious thought class which was graciously organized, taught and mediated by a fabulous Korean and mentor, Prof. Park, Kwangsoo.I enjoyed use of the library and other perks and respect awarded to foregners and/or campus staff.
I had only one awful experience( a terrible roommate/colleague), an episode which has been eclipsed by a better roomate, and all the positive experiences from the great friends , colleagues, students and family, both Korean and foreign, in Iksan and elsewhere in Korea.
So , now I can have a final Sunday morning of peace and reflection before setting off on yet another adventure, and the great unknown. I fear I have too much gear and am travelling not as lightly as usual. Alas, i will be tossing books and papers as they are read. But as photography is more sserious now, and my desire and techinical skill increases, i need the gear to support it, so I am leaving with an SLR and two lenses, and the compact DiCa. It adds to a lot of weight, as do the 30+ rolls of film , and the Polycarbonate underwater housing, and well the laptop to edit images. So stay tuned.
Yes , it was a terrific photographic year for me, and the hobby as generated some self supporting income as well. I contributed some images to the LATimes, had an exhibition and sold many prints from that. I lost and regained my compact digital twice. The second time was a bit of a drama. I had lost it or stolen on campus, gave up on the search, and then decided I needed to replace it with the same model with a fruitless trip to Seoul. It was then found on the internet auction site, my exact model no less, as it was being offered with the accessories which I lost. The seller posted no information, name , phone # and it looked sketchy , so we prepared our case with the cops, who were willing to help and prepared a file to prepare to the cyber police dept.. We purchased it remotely through a friend in Seoul who , on receipt, confirmed the serial # . The seller then was sending messages for us to confirm the purchase, enabling us to contact him. Yeonmi's brother-in-law contact the seller, who was evidently crazy, crooked, and lying, not to mention hiding something. We told him we just wanted the money back and would not file the police charges. He fessed up how he acquired it ( from a uni student), and without much delay agreed to return the purchse price. So criminals go free, but truth and justice and good prevail over evil. So my conection to my camera is strong, and everyone is making sure i'm careful and glue this thing to my body.
My brother-in- law( white hair in the attached photo), helped play the strong arm , respectworthy senior member, to make the calls and do business with this and another situation, my crooked former employer. I visited the pension office to apply for reimbursement of the $ paid into the National Pension Scheme on my behalf. They pay back your deducted contribution and your employer's matching amount in full if you declare no intention to reside or retire in Korea. To my surprise( but not really), my former hakwon didn't pay into it, so with cajoling and subtle threats , and frusrating lack of attention or immediacy on the part it was paid out to me finally yesterday.
So my brother asked if I had a bad impression of the country with all the criminality and I said not really, it happens everywhere, and I understand. Corruption is rampant in Korea but that's the field.

I hope to be writing more in the days and weeks to come, except for in January where communication and internet are strictly controlled in Myanmar.We will arrive at the new airport in Bangkok on Monday eve , and then transfer to KotaKinabalu on Tuesday. From KK we will head over to the NE area for me to enjoy diving at Sipadan island, one of the best locations in the world.see:
http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/mapguide/default.asp?page=sipadan
Then to KK the mountain, and trekking before starting off the newyear in Myanmar and studying vipassana.

Iksan also had another Avian Flu case click on the main post title for the link. The Korean government in their typical, ignorant, face-saving way, has blamed migratories for spreading the disease. As member of BordsKorea, an NGO trying to help and collect data to help the uninformed government, I'm saddened by the perpetuity of misinformation abound in this country. There is no proof of their claim, and as the migratories number in the millions and rarely are they found dead, you'd think if they had AI, they'd be dying in throves after flying 10000km and weakening their immunity. Anyways the scare about the said officials putting down pet dogs has passed.

So much to say, but it will be said later.
I hope to post a year in review, ongoing, in the next 2 weeks.