As China Celebrates her 60th National Anniversary

I Remember China ............................................
                                                       

The People's Republic of China celebrates its 60th National Day on 1st October. The celebration coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival (full moon of the 8th Lunar Calendar). A week long holiday was declared by the government. It was estimated that more than 20 million people traveled back to their home towns and villages to be reunited with their loved ones. Televisions reported on the chaotic jams in major airports, train stations and bus terminals with people rushing home to be reunited with their families. Brings back memories of stories of China told to us by our parents and relatives when we were kids. That's more than 50 years ago! Life then was in the villages, not the skyscrapers I saw when I visited Quilin (2004), Beijing (2005), Guangzhou (2006), and Kunming (2006). Maybe it is time, I visit my parents' villages which they left behind as teenagers, with no opportunity of returning. Soon ................

If you did not climb the Great Wall, then you have not been to China!!

The famous Tiananman Square, Beijing

The Forbidden City in Beijing where the Emperors Rejoiced!

City of Guangzhou (formerly Canton)

Beijing Ru is the budget shoppers' paradise in Guangzhou

The mountains and rivers of Quilin

The colourful limestone caves of Quilin

In Kunming, you will be welcomed by the "Emperor" himself!

In Lijiang, visit the awesome Stone Forest

(Pinnacle Karst - UNESCO Heritage)

Leaving Vientiane, Laos

Cheers to Vientiane .....................................

Writing this in Vientiane on the night (or is it already early morning!) before leaving for home.

Home Sweet Home. This has been quite a long stay. Been here since 23 August 2009.

This being my third trip to this lovely city of peace, with all the friendly people.

My first trip was in January 2009, followed by a second trip of of one month in May/June 2009.

But these few days, the city has suddenly sprouced up, all along the road fronting the enchanting Mekong River.

Make-shift stalls are up with all the fun fare games and BBQ chicken and fish.

The roads are all jammed up with traffic and people. Wonder where all the people suddenly came from.

There are a lot of festivities going on.

Vientiane is getting ready for the "Wat Chanh Boat Racing Festival 2009" on 4 - 5 October.

Traditional boats will compete for the 1 kg silver bowl trophy and six million KIPS (about USD700!!).

The traditional floating of candle-lit banana leaf boats and candlelight processions around temples will also take place on the night of 4 October. When darkness falls, Vientiane will sparkle with processions of people carrying banana leaves folded to resemble traditional longboats (heua fai khok) and decorated with flowers, candles, incense and balls of sticky rice (khao niew - my friend's favourite!).

These boats are shaped to have a figurehead resembling a naga dragon.

The appearance of these boats signals the end of Buddhist Lent (Ork Phana).

Vientiane residents craft these model boats to show their respect for the naga, said to live in the river, and to Buddha. (ha but I am going to miss all this!!).

Laos is also getting ready to host the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane from 9 - 18 December 2009.

The Lao people take great pride for being given the trust to host the games for the first time.

You will be warmly greeted with the traditional welcome "Sa Bai Di" everywhere you go!.

Going to miss Beerlao too!! Cheers to all my Lao friends!! I will be back again!!!

The ever-popular Beerlao is brewed from "sticky rice - khao niew"

Cheers and "Kop Jai" to all my Lao Friends!!!

From this to this below

Its Carnival Time in Vientiane!

Kids Like Me

A friend sent this to me 

 

First, we survived with mothers who had no maids

They cooked and cleaned while taking care of us at the same time

We took aspirin, candy floss, fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrup and diabetes was rare.

Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets

As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles for 2 or 3

Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags

Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat

We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottles

We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about UV rays which never seem to affect us

We go into the jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes

With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game

With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would ran like crazy for hours

We caught guppy in drains / canals and when it rained we swam there

We shared one soft drink with four friends from one bottle and NO ONE actually worry about being unhygenic

We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies,bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft drinks, sweet coffee/ tea, ice kachang, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till streetlights came on

No one was able to reach us all day

And we were O.K

We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes

After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts

We never had birthday parties

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of

They actually sided with the law!

Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers,

problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,

and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

To those who who like me have had the luck to grow up as kids,

before the government regulated our lives for our own good.

Travel to Lao PDR

19 days in Vientiane from 4 - 22 January 2009                 

French Wine Barrel, Vientiane

Woh, this can drown you

Restaurants along Mekong River, Vientiane

The Grand Stupa (That Luang), Vientiane

The most important national and religious monument of Laos,
a symbol of the Laotian nation, which is represented in the arms of the country.
It was built by King Setthathirah in 1566.
The monument is built on the location of an older Stupa which is believed to contain a relic of the Buddha.

Patouxay or Victory Monument (Patouxay), Vientiane

The monument is devoted to victims of pre-Revolutionary wars - Laotian soldiers.

It was built in 1969 and reminds one of the Parisian Arc de Triomphe

Visit to Luang Prabang,

the ancient capital city of the Lanoxang Kingdom,

is the UNESCO Heritage city

and famed for classic Lao temple architecture.

Procession of Monks receiving alms in the early hours in Luang Prabang