TravelStream™ news feed for member iwanttotravel on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/iwanttotravel en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:50:37 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216536180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216536180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216536180/tpod.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:50:37 -0400 Welcome to Viet Nam.

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Cu Chi, Vietnam

I woke up involunteerily early for the tour to Cu Chi. Booked in at US$5 per person + 80,000 dong entry. Was told yesterday that there's actually a local bus there that will take you there at 5000 dongs. And so the 3 of us lambasted ourselves for paying 15 times the price. But through the bus trip we realised that it was worth it, we could have never lasted the hour in the heat of a local bus. We weren't much better off though because the air con on the bus we were on was barely functioned and when we arrived almost everyone could be spotted with some signs of sweating. The most extreme being the sweat drenched shirts and pants of some tourists.

One of the highlights was the crazy traps they made! I mean I'm sure I can come up with the mechanism for those traps if I'm in that time but they sure as hell had some meanass traps. And I found one particularly poignant. It was the one whereby when you step into it, your own weight will kill you. The spike will emerge when the middle plate is pressed down, so the heavier you are, the more sudden it will emerge. You're responsible for killing yourself. Like many things in life. How philosophical. and what a bad way to die.

Another highlight was when I got to fire a round of ammunition from the machine gun. There's a whole range of rusty guns to choose from at the end of the tour at the shooting gallery. naturally I elected to take the meanest looking thing I could get my hands on, rusty as they were and as little money as we had on hand. ohwell. I fired a machine gun! :D There was this two other ladies, maybe late 20s probably japanese or korean. They shrieked every time they fired their gun. I giggled and so did darren and the guards. Funny part was that they bought many rounds. Haha. Women! tsk.

Cu chi provided some reflection and fun but that's all I'll write. :)
Cheers!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1217626800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1217626800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1217626800/tpod.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:28:06 -0400 Welcome to Viet Nam.

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

If you don't already known, vietnam is one hell of a wet country. And I'm sitting here with all that wetness. A strong need to chronicle my 3 hour of a day.

I started my day with reluctance at leaving the room. I think such feelings hit you when you've been in the same damn city for 2 weeks. Since 14 days ago that is. It shocked me to realise i wittered away these 14 days in this same room, in this same city for that long. And after alot of procrastination, I decided I haven't seen enough of the city and launched about with plans to see the HCM Museum, buy something for D and go collect the 3 beautiful dresses I've tailored. Plus have something good to fill my stomach. It started off harmless enough, as I was leaving the compound, someone calls me pretty, I nonchalently walk around the block for 400m then hopping into a cab.

The cabbie took me on a spin through big and small roads, I figured maybe he was taking some shortcuts or something but when we went around and pass the Ben Tanh Market roundabout, you know you've got one really lost cabbie. The museum is just suppose to be a 10-12 minute walk from my place. So with some translation of Viet Bao Dang being museum from Lonely Planet, I got there at 38k dongs. paid a reluctant him 30k. sometimes I wonder if cabbies dont get you, what did they actually hear and where are they headed?

So a tour about the dark, dusty, dipilated (maybe not so bad but im just grumpy now) museum, what lonely planet raves about the remarkable building. Sometimes I wonder if the writers know what they are writing. Or maybe they have just never been to Singapore with our perfect museums housed in similar but well maintained and polished "remarkable building". Maybe thats why Im unimpressed. Some chambers are just a collection of old things. (ok, joke there). But some old things just arent old enough. They write late 20th century. Isn't late 20th century just like 1980, 1990? I have older figurines and antiques in my house. The upstairs is better with some artefacts of the war, some buddhist protests, etc etc. But I found one particularly amusing. You know a country's pride in overthrowing the south and becoming entirely communist and such related nationalistic pride. but I found it intensely amusing when I found myself staring at a poorly formed and half a remnant of two things used to make cakes. It wrote there, used to make cakes for VC soldiers (or something) and it was donated by this random woman. urm........ ok? "Here, I made cakes for the soldiers which they had over their secret meetings using this two stone things", "urm, ok, since you offered, it looks pretty old and historical-ish, i'll put it under a glass box and stick in the museum.", "thanks".

On my way down I came across this couple doing their bridal shoot, you know the typical museum thing, hand in hand on the grand stairs. Snapped plenty of pictures of the couple and the photographer. The assistant kept coming around to twist the bride's head left and right, again and again. And it was amusing to watch the bride mummering some things to the groom while smiling. And they stayed in the exact same pose for like 10minutes? Watching it, I was wondering if this is the pain people go through just to get married. mmm. Then they proceeded up the grand stairs and her train surrounded me and caught me in a little corner on the stairs. I naturally burst out into giggles because I found that split second severly amusing. :)

Just as I was about to leave the dark mouldy place, in all vietnamese style, it started to rain. Wrong, it started to pour vietnamese style. It started to pour monsoon typhoon style.

So I sat there like all rain caught people do, reading LP on history of vietnam and cu chi for half an hour. While learning about the evolution of the cu chi tunnels, I spotted the flash of the assistant's camera directly opposite me. I looked up. I had my picture taken. I decided it's alright then carried on reading. Then I realise the photographer took another picture. I can't say anything about it because I did take pictures of them earlier from the top of the stairways.

The rest of my day went with 2 cab calls, getting slammed out of the museum and standing on the front door steps with 3 construction workers and a chauffeur. Getting caught for an hour and a half in the rain was testing the last strand of my patience. And just then, the chauffeur outside started joking with the security guard inside through the grill and before I know it, the chauffeur jumped aside and a splash of water hit me. So much for jokes.

Cold, wet and utterly miserable, I tried to hijack someone else's chauffeur with 100k dong. Well, attempt failed. Maybe 100k dong isn't much to him. When he refused, he drove off and I felt crushed and subjected to my fate of standing on my miserable inch of a space. I was this close to just walking "home" 20minutes in the pouring rain with a half-fuck umbrella which has proven to be unable to withstand 2 raindrops.

Just as I stepped foot onto the gravel and started walking, an enterprising man approached me and offered me a ride back at 150k on the cyclo. (cyclo in the rain?). Hell no, so we finally settled at 50k on his bike. You should have seen him smile man. And so there I was on the say-om (scooter) (which i told myself I wouldn't take unless it's a female driver), pretty as can be in a sweet black embroidary dress, desperately holding on to the umbrella driving through the streets of HCM. Just when I thought "thank goodness for the umbrella", the half-fuck thing flipped and inverted. And so the umbrella and me entered into an intense struggle, flipping back and forth with me holding on for dear life in the pouring rain. when the umbrella flipped for the multiple time, I gave up.

There I was, riding on the scooter in the rain, drenched to the bone, holding an upturned umbrella and clutching on for dear life. When we slowed to a stop at the traffic junction and I turned to look at the other riders surrounding me, I just couldn't help but burst out laughing when I realised how downright ridiculous I looked. And you know, all of a sudden, my 3 hours out wasn't quite that bad anymore. :)

When life makes jokes of you, laugh along. :)

I'm now just waiting here, a distressed damsel, waiting for my prince to hurry back so I can go have some deep fried Lotteria (Korean fastfood, pretty much serves KFC's stuff.) instead of the random crispy snack D got from Dalat.

Over and out. :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216698060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216698060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/3/1216698060/tpod.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:41:16 -0400 Welcome to Viet Nam.

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I wanted to give the war museum a miss today and come back another time but walking down the street with Huong eventually brought me there and so I entered.

The museum starts with a history of the war then moves on to a tribute to war photojournalists with a gallery of them and their work during the vietnam war. Next was a feature on children's drawing about their intepretation of war and then the main atrium featured pictures of the war and its brutality, most prominently torture and the effects of Orange Agent on the people. It then ended off with a walk through a replicate of the "tiger cages" that the US army employed. The shear number of prisons on the map astonished me.

The best bits about the museum wasn't what everyone posed for shots with, the war tanks, the bombs or the helicopter on show in the courtyard. It was the journalistic photographs. In my text based knowledge and distant feelings, the word War doesnt strike me as something real and tangible, it to me is merely another few bytes of knowledge in my memory.

However, browing through the galleries of the bravieties of war photographers, I once again reconfirmed my perception of journalistic photography, especially war, being the most meaningful employment of the trade. One can hardly comprehend the passion that drives such a job and most of all the Trait that has no name to it, of being able to hold up a soldier to capture the final moments of a family about to be killed, then stepping away and letting the troop pull the trigger. And that was what one photographer did. I am all at once overwhelmed with the "you could have stopped them" and how the family felt being photographed in their dying moments. But most of all however, I am awashed with understanding of the need to document where you cannot interfer. To me, the greatest trait needed for a photographer is the ability to remain neutral and to act merely as an observer. To note, this is the very trait that can in turn torture the human in the photographer.

Photographs after photographs of death and its final moments brought me to tears. Of the tiny glimpse I got of the horrors of losing your husband, seeing your father dragged away or your whole family decimated. Of your once beloved now lifeless and bloodied. Of child after child, born distorted beyond belief. And the burden of care when the starting of a family after war should mean and bring renewal to the nation after siege. When children born after war should bring hope and life into the streets devoid of people, but instead they serve as constant reminders of the war. Life is not about the suffering of the moment, because time will pass and the moment will be over. But the greatest disability is to not be able to move on.

The entire museum ended with a short gallery of vietnam today, lively, hopeful and looking towards the future. And I thought that was a really nice way to for us to end the tour and not walk out feeling bleak and burdened.

And so the museum closed and we were ushered out. I got on a say-om and the adventurous ride of it all wiped out my hour in the war. I met up with darren and wh for dinner, with plenty of laughs and cheer we went about our night.

I snuggled into bed tired and all ready to rest, thoughts of the museum the furthest thing from my mind. But in the darkness of my room, when I closed my eyes ready to rest, I could only see the mangled bodies of fetuses and children sprawled all over the streets. Innumerable and deformed. The crying of women, the suffering, the tattered corpse of men. My tears flowed uncontrollably onto my arm and pillow and I could not bear to close my eyes. Lying there silently sobbing for a portion of everything these people felt.

After awhile, I got up and went to the toilet to cleanse the tears from my face. I turned on the tap and splashed some water on my face. But when I looked into the mirror and realised the irony of how good I looked crying, the redness in my lips whole and healthy, I broke down. I sat on the floors of the toilet and sobbed for the longest time in awhile. I cried because the glimpse into their suffering and the innumerable range of emotions overwhelmed me. And for the second time this year I cried because of how blessed I was.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/2/1215668640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/2/1215668640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/2/1215668640/tpod.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:23:49 -0400 Redang -fishies

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Pulau Redang, Malaysia

Just a quick post entry for Pulau Redang, off Terangganu, Malaysia.

Started as a long (understatement) night ride from Golden Mile Complex all the way to Terangganu. That ass cramping, body twisting 9-10hour ride. But it was a good night ride, with good company to chit chat with and eventually the darkness of the night and a sky full of stars.

"i glanced out my window into the darkness and upwards i turned my gaze to lay eyes on countless stars dotting the blackness that is the sky and in this moment i wish only to share it with you. for every wish of happiness i've ever made upon the stars, every one of them came true in you."

Dawn arrived, we arrived and sappy feelings aside, the group of us had breakfast then headed on the bumpiest, most overloaded boat ride to the island. My amazing intelligence aside, I bummed my friend aside so that I could sit on the front of the boat. And in that 40 minute ride, I managed to learn some common sense. That is, everytime the boat crashes against a wave, droplets or splashes of water will make their way upwards and onto the unsuspecting front passenger. And so i ended my little boat ride a little (much) saltier than when i began the ride.

Fast forwarding many parts, we managed to do 3 snorkles.

The first comprises me swimming off alone as far as I could searching for the elusive turtles (which i've come to feel is just a scam). But I went to redang determined to see turtles out in the open, considering i missed seeing turtles twice at the great barrier reef the last time around. So there I was, terribly frightened of the unknown that is the sea, looking around hoping to spot some signs of life. I started the snorkle with some harmless flip flap of my legs, visiting sparodic patches of corals inhabited by passing fishes. But I didnt quite go all the way to redang to see fishes whom I can visit at my nearest aquarium. Sound wisdom: turtles are shy creatures and definately wouldnt be lurking in the vacinity. And so I headed to the outskirts of the reef. Besides some passerby fishes, i pretty much saw about 2billion grains of white sand and blue waters surrounding me. Just as I was getting desperate floating atop the waters looking around hoping for a turtle, I spotted something from the corner of my eye. I turned and low and behold, the god damn it biggest fish i have ever ever ever seen swam merely 3meters away from me. A streamline white body around the size of, well, me. That after a few seconds, quickly disappeared out of my visibility. And as much as I hate to seem cowardly, I freaked out. Lets call it piss in your pants kind of freak out. I've never quite imagined fishes to be anything beyond those small little things we keep in fish tanks and (sorry) fillets on my dinner plate. Out in the ocean, fishes appear to be another game altogether. I instantaneously stuck my head out of the water, spotted the next nearest person and swam like crazy. And lets just say the nearest person wasn't exactly very near. And so there I was in the middle of the blue, feeling so alone and vulnerable, swimming as hard as I could for shelter. Occassionally I peeked my head underwater just to make sure I was alone, or at least appear to be.

[to be continued]
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1195579200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1195579200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1195579200/tpod.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:27:33 -0500 Going solo down under

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Singapore, Singapore

Special thanks to everyone who got balms or gave me a nice word.
You really set the tone for the rest of my trip. =)
Giving me enough hope and optimism to inspire.
And what a way it is to start the first step of my solo travels.

Thank you.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197343620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197343620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197343620/tpod.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:04:12 -0500 Going solo down under

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Sydney, Australia

As is expected, as your trip progresses, you really cant be bothered to write anymore. and i rather let pictures do the talking. although i dont have much of sydney. really tired right now. my last hour in sydney then i'll be on the 13hour train to brisbane so i can get my ass down to gold coast for a day of themeparks and sleeping in the airport for my morning flight out to kl. i'm not keen to go back right now. my trip has been amazingly great. but what goes up must come down. and everybody must go home. I'm glad i pushed for this trip. Now it will be greater motivation to save for my next.

Sydney at first impression was quite shitty to me, but now, its not bad. Thanks to Nafi (and Fari) for introducing me. Double thanks Nafi, though you wont be seeing this, had alot of fun. :) Don't have much to say at this moment, but I'll "enjoy" the 13 hour train ride to brisbane and reflect on my way. plenty of time for that on my flight back too.

I however have come to the firm conclusion that travelling solo or with just a guy friend (or guyish female friend) will be the only way to go. I cant stand fuss.

Love,
min





]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197039720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197039720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1197039720/tpod.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:03:04 -0500 Going solo down under

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Melbourne, Australia

Let the pictures do the talking.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196987880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196987880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196987880/tpod.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:17:25 -0500 Going solo down under

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Geelong, Australia

5am in the morning I was up and after a severely heavy breakfast of 2slices of bread, chicken breast and mashed potatoes, I was off to start on the great ocean road and a lot of eating for the day.

Just to put it forward, I ate chicken breast, mashed potatoes, 4 slices of bread, 100g of ham, a apricot bar, a bag of dried apples, another bag of ham, orange juice, gurana and riboros iced tea and 1.5l of water. That is considered alot since i've been barely eating the past few days. I think my body is trying to make up for lost food time.

The great ocean road drive was amazing. endless winding roads of scenic drive. Several thoughts came and went. But mostly I wondered how the world war 1 veterans felt toiling and building the roads amongst so much beauty. I wont imagine they feel uplifted and encouraged, instead I imagine they would have felt jaded and poignant pains. Of toiling in the presence of so much beauty, something like a sad mockery.

And as we drove along for the hours, the beauty of the place seems to set in and people started yawning, and I wondered, can you ever get used or sick of so much beauty and sadly the answer would be yes. Its only human nature.

I had the pleasure of walking through the otway rainforest (although it wasnt raining, so its just a forest :) ). With 120million years of history and life came and gone, as much as it just seemed like a walk through paved roads in the forest, I felt in a way a sense of sad honour to be able to walk through so much greatness. And for once, I sincerely felt upset that I was accelerating the death of trees with my consumerism. Yet again I wonder if I will change my ways, probably, I will try harder to reduce my paper waste and daily life's electricity usage but I wonder to what extents I will continue feeling inspired. Many trees seemed newly planted and the place not as old as you would imagine, but the dirt and moss beneath your feet lays testimon to the years of life and decay, years that makes your existance seems truly negligible. The remaining pockets of the forest was small to me, not like the endlessness I always imagined, it comes to an end. Maybe one day we wouldnt even have our rainforests anymore, just replanted trees and reforestation pockets.

On a slightly brighter note, at our last stop, I had a dip in the waters of the ocean. in the enclaves of the sandstone cliffs. Impulse and attraction of the clear waters and my need to feel alive drove me to jump in. I dropped my things and pants and immersed myself in all 10degrees of life. Didnt get to stay long though, just a few minutes in real time, but it was enough, the rewards of feeling alive is beyond the measures of time. ended up being the only soggy idiot. but you seldom regret the things you have done, its the things you dont do that torments you. I hate the feeling of should have and could have. And I hope I never live with those feelings again. although I know in some areas I still will. Areas where rationality and level headedness must rule your life. Sometimes I really wish we could skip all that and just live the way we feel and let impulse and great feelings of irrationality spice up your life but then consequences acts as gravity and there you are back with feet planted on the ground. You can try to jump as high as you can and for a moment, you will be high, but the very next, you'll be back.

3hours drive back in darkness and the darker it is the more thoughts you tend to have. and so i spent it with headphones and admiration of the landscape, in contemplation.

I'm not sure why but beauty always leaves me feeling dark and melancholic. While on the reverse, I always seek light in darkness. Maybe I'm never meant to feel the elations of pure lightness. and yet then, maybe I'm also never meant to feel the abyss of darkness and the absence of light. In that way, I wonder if I'm lucky, to live with such balance, or mediocrity of emotions.


And so in another observation of life. The posing couple where the guy is the typical picture of a fatter man with gold chain and an expensive prosumer camera in hand and his partner the prettily dressed attractive female who flicks her hair while he photographs her everywhere. But they dont hold hands or trade affections. And then there was another couple who barely shares or talk or goes anywhere together and when she's tired, she lays on her folded jacket and he lays his head on the chair in front. They dont lie on each another. And another couple, who shares smiles here and there, the lady is pregnant. But he doesnt hold her hand. And the old couple who's spent more than half their life together and he cares in silent observation while she chatters on. He goes forward to explore while she simply hangs back to wait. So many years on. He doesnt hold her hand.

I know love is expressed in more ways than holding hands like paying your bills and ensuring there's food on the table and washing the dishes, maybe even buying jewellery and golf cubs and flowers. But what says I love you more than the simple act of holding your hand, the act of saying I'm here, I'm by your side and always in all ways, I'm real. The very first thing we do when we're falling in love is hold hands. When I fall in love, he has to hold my hand, whether i'm 20 or 50 or 70, he has to hold my hand and give me simple kisses openly. And with that thought, I cant wait to fast forward my life. To retirement with star gazing and quiet enjoyment of each other's presence. I know firstly he has to come along, but just for awhile, let this romantic sadly dream. :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196409000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196409000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196409000/tpod.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:53:01 -0500 Going solo down under

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Kuranda, Australia

Today started off with skydive cancellation again, tuna sandwich and orange juice.

At 9.10, I got cancellation for skydiving, and so 9.20, I jumped on the train to Kuranda. Amazing with 5 capital As.

Took the rail up, the views were great, I have to say I was more busy getting pictures than really enjoying the ride. none the less. great views.

Kuranda turns out to be a small little township that many meters up in the hills/mountains/rainforest. Filled with craft markets after markets, little nook and crannies, standard market souvinirs, some more extraordinary and some art galleries. Steve Javer's gallery striked me in particular. reputed to be one of the best Australian landscape photographer. 2 postcards. All i can afford, but viewing his works were enough for me.


Spent the next 2-3hours simply wandering the markets over a few times. Long story cut short, an hour before my skyrail was to depart back, I decided to step into a place at the end of the street I have been passing by a few times. Has to be the best decision I made, the sign board outside pointed in Information Center Baha'i. Baha'i is a faith, followers of Baha and somehow I felt so inclined. There was a small stand outside with free information booklets about the faith, with the house dog at my feet, I flipped through the little booklets. Took me awhile before I summed up the impulse to walk in and talk to the man inside seated at the desk. It was a small place, both walls lined with books (not tidy of course) and facing right out at his great big desk was this man, 60s, white haired, spectacles, with serious eyes. Graham Nicolason. I am to remember this man for quite a long time to come. I ended up spending more than half an hour chatting with him abouth the faith and religion in general. Tea and his wife's carrot walnut cake included. After awhile he actually also brought up that he's one of the host in Servus, a worldwide traveller-host group and he's probably hosted a thousand or so people. I took that as a good sign to indicate I can stay with them if I wanted. Nice enough. I had to end off the chat rather unwillingly, because I've quite taken to this man who actually understands some of my philosophies and shares his with me. Moments of reckoning hit me afew times with the theories he explained. And for once, I've come to peace with the reasoning that man can create life yet it is in natural order all the same, not a debunker of God's ability. He fetched me back to the skyrail station when he realise I might probably miss my ride back in his pickup that totally smells of the lion mane dog.

I got off that truck feeling great. :)

So off to the skyrail I went, already feeling that my entire trip up was worth it. So I got unsuspectingly into the cable car all by myself, which I really prefered anyway. Before my cable car left the station, this asian guy who works that, kept hanging off the outside of my cable car chit chatting with me. mmm. fun still.

The ride was breathtaking, and all the oo and ahhhs kept appearing in my head and at those very moments just watching the beauty of creation around me, I realise, this is why I travel, this is what it feels to be alive. Suspended above the forest, the horizons ahead, the shades of hills/mountain forming the backdrop, paranomic views all to yourself in that little cable car.

There's two stops on the way down, and when I got to the first one, I almost didnt get off, thinking I've probably seen it all and i just want to continue my ride. but this guy with curly redhead hair kept asking me, are you sure you dont want to get off? there's views of Barron Gorge here, you sure you dont want to get off? I realise the other cable car in front of me didnt get off either and there I was hesitating, looking at him, i decided to hop off the cable car, abit disorientated at where to go, but he pointed me and so I went. I could almost love that man, the 2 lookout points offered absolutely amazing views of the water falls. and there I stood happily (not really) bitten by gigantic flies and you know, who cares, shutter happy.

And so I stayed there for more than half an hour (limit was supposedly 15) and the realisation dawned that i might be the last person there, but i clicked on a few more times. I finally tore myself away from the place, and as I walked back, I saw him approaching, I was the last person back. Had a nice chat with him on the walk back. Paul. The first thing I said to him was actually, "I could actually love you for this!" Its funny to say but he even said, we might meet again. and philosophically, i realise thats possible. mathematically unrealistic though.

So I enjoyed the rest of my ride down. 2 people and the rainforest made my day.

Its amazing how friendly people are when they realise you're travelling alone. And in a good way.

Photos to come soon.

Love,
Min
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196986920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196986920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iwanttotravel/australia-2007/1196986920/tpod.html Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:27:22 -0500 Going solo down under

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Townsville, Australia

Maggie island was alright. Cycled up and down the winding roads, and when i say winding, i dont mean left and right winding. i mean up and down. and it really is up and down. its like climbing hills after hills. And I realise i was the only genius who cycled, everyone else drove or used bikes. I found a piece of paradise to myself though. a vacant beach, the beautiful granite formation, the clearest ocean. i stood in the water for a longest time, waves crashing, barely holding my ground, wishing you were here with me. whoever you may be.

no pictures of paradise, its in the heart.
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