YEAH!!!!!! i've finally been able to put up some photos!i know it's taken long enough...so just a little of what i've been doing since last post...

my travel buddy, virg, got extreme food poisoning from some dirty ice we think at 'JJ' markets. For three days she was near death...hehe...well, i'm sure those of you who have suffered the likes of virg know exactly what i mean...during this time i got to know the local food vendors quite well...i walked around the neighbourhood purchasing everything from fruit to electrolytes...i made friends with the pharmacist and his wife who helped with out with ordering a thai version of congee...by the end of the third sick day i knew where i could get good fried noodle dishes like pad thai and pad kee meow or if you wanted noodle soup i could take you there...

virg finally got the bug out of her system and we took a bus to Mae Sot to join up with a team from a Christian NGO called GAIN...Virg had been with them a few weeks earlier. They do medical missions where they assist the local people with medical aid as well as praying for them and giving them information about the gospel...i went to work with children in schools teaching them some english...i'm not christian so the praying and the rest did make me feel uncomfortable at times but i enjoyed the experience of working with kids in such a different environment to what i had been used to...

Mae Sot is near the Burmese border...actually the two countries were joined by a long bridge that people walked across...it would've been great to have crossed it, but was not possible to do so...perhaps another time...

Virg and i returned to Bangkok after a few days to finished catching up with friends of virg's and to do some more shopping and eating...man...we did so much of the two it wasn't funny...on our last day in bangkok we took a thai cooking class at a little place run by a company called Thai Kitchen called The Epicurean Kitchen...it was really clean and well set up and they did all the prep work like cutting onions and slicing chicken for you before you got there...we learnt to prepare entrees, mains and dessert and then got to eat our creations...sooooo yum! i couldn't believe i had prepared the food myself!those phoos are on their way, i haven't gotten round to putting them on the computer as yet...

in the afternoon, feeling sleepy from eating our feast we took a ferry up to Wat Po to visit the reclining Buddah who was golden and long...quite an amazing site. i especially loved the feet adorned with mother of pearl detailing....very intricate...

in the evening after dinner with new friends, virg, joyti (friend we were staying with in Bangkok) and i went to the Banyon Tree hotel to visit the Vertigo Bar located on the 55/56th floor of the hotel it's outdoors so you could take in the amazing view of the city by night. The cocktails were slightly cheaper than what you would pay in a pricey bar in Sydney but definitely expensive for Bangkok standards, but well worth it for taste and view...

so the pics are from Angkor, most from Angkor Wat and one from the Bayon...I will put up more photos but perhaps tomorrow...i can't believe i go back to school tomorrow...eek...such sadness my holidays have come to an end...boohoohoo...

Plastic makes the world go round in Thailand i've realised...everything is wrapped in plastic...can't get away from the stuff...your meals are wrapped in plastic and then more plastic and then more plastic...fruits are individually wrapped in plastic in some places...paper is lined with plastic so food can be wrapped...

there is a new shopping mall which has just opened up in central Bangkok in Siam called the Siam Paragon...it's a huge complex with a mega department store, lots of high-end shopping some of which have not opened up as yet. There are also car showrooms showcasing such cars like Ferrari, Maserati and Lambourginie (i hope the spelling is somewhat correct... have no interest in these cars myself so don't know how to spell them...) The thing about this complex is although there are all these magnificent stores and beautifully polished white floors and open planning, there is no one around! seriously, it is soooo empty i could hear my own footsteps and in some cases even the sound of my own breathing...scary...where there are people however is on the bottom floor...the food court...ah, i too love it there...it's clean for one thing, but of course devoid of any character or charm that street markets and vendors have...it has an array of foods from all over the place and has a huge gourmet supermarket which i love...i love looking at groceries...don't know why...

last night in a little alley next to where i am staying they had their own version of moonlight cinema and were showing Harry Potter with a little boy or maybe about 6 or 7 working on the projector feeding the film through...there were no goldclass members seating area here with beanbags and wine...

i still can't seem to upload photos, i don't know why, so i'll have to do that when i get home i suppose...my page doesn't seem to want to sit at the top and my entries are like halfway down the page...any suggestions on how i may fix this?

I've tried....i really have tried...but i guess slow dial up speed internet doesn't get you very far these days...well it doesn't get my photos anywhere that's for sure! I've taken all these great photos from Angkor but i can't share them with you because they are too big and i can't seem to upload them to my site...so many hours of wasted time...

yesterday i went to pantip, the centre for electronics...the akihabara of bangkok...i purchased a few things, nothing big, but literally took me forever walking around in circles, bargaining, looking for stores i'd been to already but not being able to...eek...

bangkok is well known for piracy...not the eye patch wearing, parrot toting...dvds and music...i was in a store waiting for a few dvds to be compiled when the lookout guy outside runs into the store and everyone starts throwing things under tables and into boxes...it was so hectic i jumped up and got myself out of the store...lo and behold, the police...there are signs up all over this place about how the ministry of intellectual property doesn't support the activities of these stores and if you know of anyone violating these laws to contact these ministry but who is going to do that? i can't imagine many people who do business there are going to rat on each other and the tourists...i'm sure they have better things to do like flipping through dvd and music catalogues...oooh, the OC seasons 1 and 2!

I give up! i was going to post some pics but this computer is giving me
the irrites...ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'll do it another time!

Wow...wow...wow...today was out first full day in Siem Reap and in Angkor. The temples were AMAZING...can't really explain with words, too hard to describe the majesty and the grandeur...i have definitely never been to or seen anything like it in my entire life and i am sure that it could only be matched with possibly another wonder of the world...

We started the day early as the middle of the day is too hot to do anything...we ventured to the Bayon, one of the other large temples in the Angkor complex...the reliefs were amazing and beautiful...so many stories to be told here...

we gave up looking around after a few hours due to heat ad exhaustion, so we went to give blood instead! there is a children's hospital right next to our hotel and they are always looking for fresh blood...it was my first time and my gosh, that needle is big...but a free can ok cold coke went down a treat afterwards...

the afternoon was Angkor Wat...wow...how amazing...it really was breath-taking to say the least. i was in awe of this monument to Buddah...it's sad though that all the heads of Buddah were broken off...much like what happened with the statues in Europe...The climb up and down to the top levels were the hardest...definitely not for the faint hearted or those with a fear of height!

We went to have dinner in the main village here, in the Old Market...while having dinner we noticed so many little kids begging for food or coming into the street restaurants and eating the patrons leftovers...so sad...a serving of rice costs 500 riels...which is like 15cents and they could not afford it...it's amazing what these people, especially kids don't have...we take so many things for granted...

i would write about what amazing temples and sites i saw in bangkok but that would be a lie...i shopped and had a facial and ate yummy food....ok, ok, consumerism at it's finest, but i've seen the sites...oh wait, virg reminds me we went to the flower markets. we spent no money and saw lots of beautiful flowers...

today virg and i are in cambodia, in angkor to be exact. we are in the most beautiful hotel, the le meridien, yes very expensive but so very worth it!we've just had dinner and saw a great cambodian dance show...this afternoon we saw the sunset over angkor...one of the most amazing things i've ever seen...so beautiful...

confusion, confusion, confusion...how many people can say that any given time they have 2 friends both of the same name travelling to the same country, let alone the same city somewhat independent of each other....too crazy....so ther other night, when i was writing about ben, it was really not ben but ben...hehehe

today i fly to thailand for a couple of weeks before school starts...should be fun...also going to explore angkor which will be amazing!

hope there's internet access so i can keep posting...

last night, i went to see the shins at the metro...they were so much fun...just a few pics...

ok, so i think my friend Ben is on-line in Japan somewhere, possibly Kyoto...he's just left me a post but i may be a little too late...ah darn it...if you're reading this Ben, it sounds like you are having quite the experience in Japan...and it's only been a week, not even! Drunk on sake and beer...good work! it's a neat combination...

ben if you're out there don't go! want to hear more about falling asleep and geishas and temples!

BEN!!!!!!are you there?!

Ok, so along with the cricket and drinking full strength beer (although the beer i did drink at the cricket was light but shh, don't tell anyone!) i went to see Ian Brown at the Metro with Chris, Damo, Nath, Sarah and Robbie...and what looked like a room full of british backpackers...hehe, no, that's not true really...hehe..So Ian Brown was the lead singer of The Stone Roses before going solo...the man is 42 but oozes cool...the hair, the glasses, the jacket...i know there was definitely more than one man in that room last night wishing they were him...or just wishing they had his hair...the concert was fantastic not just because of ian's coolness, but because of the crowd...they were definitely huge fans and enjoyed every moment of the concert...they sang, laughed, cheered, chanted, danced...ah a grand night was had by all...

So as i was saying earlier it was a day of firsts...ian brown was a first, i'd never seen him live before, i'd barely heard much of his music before really...but the best/funniest first was probably being kicked out of the kings cross hotel...you're probably saying to yourself...OMG! what could bean have done to have managed that! well, it was raining and cold and there was a line to get in, i was busting to go to the ladies...i went through the back telling the bouncer i was going to have an accident if i didn't go, and he let me go on the condition i come straight out...well, i found a back entrance into the place...anyways, the bouncer came to escort me out of the place saying i never came back from the toilet and now it's time to go...this was about 3 hours after i got in...hehehe...stupid bouncers...

Yesterday was a day of firsts...Again courtesy of lovely Amy, pictured here on the right, I went to the SCG for the first time...for those not in the know, the SCG or the Sydney Cricket Ground is like hallowed turf, the home of cricket in Sydney with lots of history...the test which is being played now at the SCG is Australia vs South Africa. It rarely rains in Sydney all day, especially recently with the drought and all, but the first time I visit the SCG to watch the cricket for the first time it rains...So going to the SCG is one thing, but something most people don't ever get to do or see in their lifetimes is to sit in the members area...Amy, a recent member inductee indulged myself, Chris and a friend, Bron to a day at the cricket...just a shame it rained, but i did see a wicket taken with a runout by Hodge...So lots of you are probably wondering who is the hot cricketer in the photo with Amy and I? well, it's none other than Jacques Rudolph, a batsman for the South African team. We sat right in front of the SA dressing room and after much uming and ahing Chris decided he'd had enough and asked Rudolph for a photo...omg...so funny...he was being heckled by his team who were sitting just behind him...hehehe...so although i only saw like 4 overs bowled, i had a great day...Amy, count me in for cricket anytime :) hehehe

Ok, so seeing this poster...does it bring back any significant memories from a distant past? Tonight, after having only ever seen The Goonies on little TV screens, i saw it at Moonlight Cinema at Centennial Park with Chris, courtesy of lovely Amy (thank you muchly) and my goodness, was it worth it! It was so much fun...people were cheering and whistling as the opening credits were rolling and we knew we were in for a fun evening...
It's totally classic Spielberg...what more could you want in a movie right? there are the falling boulders (slightly Indiana Jones esq), there are the badies and the 'goonies' (hehehe), boodie traps - you mean boobie traps - that's what i said! boobie traps!, treasure, first kisses and Chunk...and OMG there is even a Corey!seriously, what more could you want from a movie! hehehe
If you haven't ever had The Goonies experience, go and get a video, DVD, 8mm...you wont be disappointed...

Ok, so just for my friend Zac...Arrested Development is on Sundays and Mondays at some crazy time probably past midnight...often too hard to watch at the time, so thank goodness it's the holidays!

So i've just come back from seeing 'Just Like Heaven'...for those of you not familiar with the storyline, here is the jist...there is girl, she has accident, there is boy, emotionally dead, he sees her but no one else can...a love story...it was cute, it was cheesy, probably like bright orange american style chedder, not like gorgonzola...if you like or need feel good, light-hearted this is a winner, if you're feeling cynical, bitter and twisted, i advise against...

In a few hours my friend Ben, better known from now till the end of the month as Yoshi is going on a crazy snowboarding trip to Japan with another friend of ours Ben who will be known as Futoshi...i wish them the best of luck on their excellent japan adventure...i'm sure they're going to have a blast and probably get into lots of mischief...hehehe...Take care and travel safe!

sleep...eat...watch cricket...sleep...eat...watch cricket...get me out of this crazy cycle...thank goodness i have bored friends who like to watch chickflicks...i love it when boys want to watch a chickflick...hehe...you put the pieces together..

i've been lying on my bed all day trying to stay cool in this 43degree C weather...feel lazy, but probably needed the rest...listening to the acoustic sounds of Oasis, a CD compiled for me by a wonderful new friend Nathan, who is by far the biggest Oasis fan I will probably ever come across in my lifetime...thanks Nath...finished reading a book which has been sitting beside my bed for too long...ah, i love a good lazy day...ah, Arrested Development is on TV, better go...

Just a few more...

Wow! What a way to bring in the new year! I had the most amazing view of Sydney Harbour with some amazing friends and new acquaintances...I'll let the pics tell the story me thinks...