110. STREAM GARDEN

see: post 90 - Phuket

 

 

Hadyai is pretty much a cowboy town, not much has changed since my last visit more than a decade ago, just a lot more muslims running small businesses. Most visitors are Malaysians these days. 

 

 

This is the closest I've come to a Thai pretty boy. He works at this pub where this troubadour, on recognising Singaporeans, donned his cap with Singapore on it...and started singing in English and Mandarin...!

As with elsewhere in Thailand and as reported in this blog in my earlier posts, the Thais proudly show off their cultural heritage every chance they get. Young and old train and perform together...this troupe is from a performing arts school in Hadyai town...at the other end are their famous transvestite shows in every major Thai city. This one in Hadyai has been around for a long time and I'm amazed it's still looking good, hasn't become tacky yet...

 

   

The motley bunch from Singapore...

While the Thais could sit upright on the floor for the longest time, the city folks from Singapore couldn't and ended up with their carcasses sprawled on the floor...

 









 











Alien life forms - the US spend millions exploring space for life - the truth is they hope to colonise what they find - when strange life forms can be found right here on Earth - on land and the oceans...

 

My pet toad watching my front door every night and a lizard with spots shared my dorm room

The Thais dived in while I watched and communed with Mother...

This private retreat is an hour's drive from Hadyai, South Thailand. It's tucked amidst greenery and a stream. An hour's trek took me to a waterfall. The trek was across some treacherous parts where the rocks under water were slippery. I amazed myself and my fellow trekkers that I completed the trek without any fuss. It was too much for 1 person - an ex-Singaporean turned Canadian who was ready to turn back! 

 

 The living areas

A meditation room secluded in a corner of the retreat for quiet solitude for those so inclined... 

 
The glorious view from my verandah - rolling hills in the back...when it rained, the rain splashed right up to the room door on the verandah.
The freshness was invigorating...when the rain stopped, the air was charged with new energy... 

The sleeping quarters were cosy, comfortable, basic with hot showers - from singles to doubles to dormitories - the Thai owner thought of everything...the vegetarian meals were wonderful - fresh from their smallholding, the positive effects of raw wholesome fresh food was felt by my body... 

Rabbit food - I ate flowers....

The Mind is like a Parachute. It works best when it's Open - Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama

109. ROAD TRIP INTO WEST JAVA

See - Post 19. Borobodur Revisited

Driving from Jakarta into Garut and Bandung gave me another glimpse into this huge country and its very diverse landscape and people...
Just before I left Singapore, Jakarta was flooded in many areas. But my 6 days there was glorious, it rained some days but intermittent and I got a lot of things done and the road trip was beautiful. A few days after my return, Jakarta was badly flooded again - my host couldn't go out anywhere due to flood waters....

 

The people are so easy going. At this warong, nobody had problems with this slip of a dog...they knew I'm not local as we conversed in English so they were welcoming of any quirks...by and large, the Indonesian muslims seem accepting and tolerant of dogs and their movements. We were never told we couldn't bring a dog into the premises neither did I come across any signs that said No Pets....

 

A Javanese qigong teacher does house calls...I was expecting a Chinese to show up...

4 noisy spoilt brats who had a personal trainer and groomer pay house calls

    

Hole in the wall businesses in Jakarta's Chinatown. The Chinese  and Indians are champions at this sort of small entrepreneurial businesses. Conditions seem crammed and uncomfortable yet they seem happy doing their own thing than work for others...

 An elegant Balinese version of Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of Knowledge...this was part of the decor in this large compound of a factory/warehouse outlet - which was so elegant it looked more like a classy boutique..
 

Will we ever see this in Singapore? Free cookies in the lobby of this hotel...can we equal the service that's been offered by our neighbours at a lower cost?
 

 

My quirky new German friend sways alone on the dance floor as the band played keronchong and ronggeng music requested by me...

  

This CEO is having a hard time calling this meeting to order as her subordinates argue over what to order for lunch...

This is a nostalgic way to serve a welcome drink in this hotel lobby
 

The very elegant Padma Hotel, Bandung. Bandung's a nice city, well laid out with lovely old colonial style Dutch buildings. I would like to return to spend a night or 2 and explore the streets...will make that sooner than later...

Old and young having a good soak in warm water. Garut is a Muslim heartland, swimming costumes are the covered-up ones showing nothing so me and friends soaked in our room instead...

 Smile! You're on Candid Camera!

Rub-a-dub dub - 2 gals in a tub - we got ourselves into hot water at this hotel sited over a thermal hot spring in Garut, West Java.